By Jacinta Nwachukwu
The office of her majesty, Queen Imelda James, Miss Health beauty pageant Nigeria 2019/2020, on Sunday, organised free medical check up on non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes for no fewer than 350 persons.
James disclosed this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) during free medical outreach at Matter Dei Catholic Church, Gwagwalada, Abuja.
She expressed passion to create awareness on health issues to prevent health related fatalities due to the lack of knowledge.
She also said that she intended to reach out to teenagers in secondary schools to educate them on the need to avoid premarital sex.
“I want to educate them on Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF); a subtype of female urogenital fistula (UGF), as many girls are not aware of the disease and what can lead to it,’’ she said.
VVF is an abnormal fistulous tract extending between the bladder and the vagina that allows continuous involuntary discharge of urine into the vaginal vault.
She said that her major pet project was to create awareness on non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes, saying that many people are becoming more prone to these health conditions.
She announced her plan to partner with the government of Delta, Ministry of Health and some healthcare providers to execute some of the projects.
The queen, therefore, called for sponsorships and support from spirited Nigerians and donor agencies to enable her to achieve the noble cause and better health awareness in Nigeria and humanity.
She added that “as an ambassador and advocate of health in Nigeria, it is my passionate desire that health awareness is provided through every means possible to prevent unfortunate and preventable health related fatalities due to the lack of knowledge.
“I want to reach out to vulnerable children, especially girls in schools, to educate them more on personal hygiene and also distribute sanitary pad to them.
“I also want to encourage out-of-school children to go back to school through distribution of school items like sandals and bags,among others,’’ James said.(NAN)