Workers at the Abakaliki Rice Mill have received a major health boost as David Umahi Federal University (DUFUHS), Ohaozara, Ebonyi State, commences free diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases at the bustling mill complex.
The university announced that the first 200 workers diagnosed with respiratory illnesses would receive complete treatment at no cost.
Jesse Uneke, Professor and the Vice Chancellor of the University, disclosed this on Tuesday during the official launch of the Equi-Resp Africa Research Project at the rice mill, an event that featured free screening and treatment for respiratory and other health conditions.
The programme was organised by the Equi-Resp Africa Research Project and DUFUHS in collaboration with the Institute of Child Health (ICH), (AE-FUTHA), the Ebonyi State Primary Health Care Development Agency and the State Ministry of Health.
Uneke described the Abakaliki Rice Mill as a critical driver of the economy of Ebonyi State and Nigeria at large, stressing that the health of its workers must not be overlooked.
He noted that the intervention was designed to improve the quality of life of operators and workers who labour daily to sustain rice production across the country, adding that free drugs had been secured for the first 200 individuals diagnosed with respiratory diseases.
Beyond treatment, the Vice Chancellor revealed that the project also includes air quality monitoring within the rice mill environment to scientifically determine pollution levels and associated health risks and generate data for evidence-based policy formulation.
Also speaking, Director of the Institute of Child Health at AE-FUTHA, Techla Ezeonu, said the outreach would expand access to healthcare for vulnerable workers, noting that diagnostic tools, including spirometry machines, were deployed to identify patients who would receive free medications.
