Prof. Oladiji Temidayo, Director,
Centre for Research and In-house Training of the University of Ilorin, has said
that Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is still a major challenge faced by rural
women.
Temidayo made the disclosure on
Wednesday at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) during an
assessment of Field Posting Reports for Masters in Public Health students of
the Department of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Temidayo said reports from public
health physicians in close contact with people in different communities across
six local government areas in Kwara indicated that FGM, sacrificial markings,
tribal marks and early marriages were rampant.
She warned that women who went through
female circumcision experienced excruciating pains, severe bleeding, painful
urination and sometimes infection.
Temidayo advised that increased
female education, community involvement and legislation were needed to reduce
the practice.
Also, Prof. Tanimola Akande, Head of
Department of Epidemiology, noted that the reports of the physicians also
indicated that health facilities were grossly under -utilised in the
communities.
“The report showed glaringly that
health workers are virtually non-existent in the rural communities and this
means that if you are sick, you are at the mercy of God to survive,” Akande
said.
He advised that the funding of
health the sector should not be the duty of the government alone but
everyone’s, adding that sustainability of existing health facilities was
important for sustainability.
Dr Shakira Okesina, a Masters of
Public Health student, explained that as part of their programme, they embarked
on 12 months community health service in six local government areas.
Okesina listed the areas as Asa,
Ifelodun, Ilorin East, Irepodun, Moro and Ilorin West.
She said that health centres in some
of the communities were abandoned and unkempt, while the people in the
communities preferred to go to hospitals in urban centres to using facilities
around them.
“We were able to resuscitate a
community health centre and now it is functioning and members of the community
now visit the centre,” Okesina said.
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