Obaseki mulls compulsory medical test for Edo workers

Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki says his administration is working on a plan that will encourage workers in the state to undergo annual medical test to ascertain their health status. Obaseki, who said this at the weekend in Benin during the World Kidney Day commemoration, noted that early detection of diseases saved costs and lives. […]

Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki says his administration is working on a plan that will encourage workers in the state to undergo annual medical test to ascertain their health status.

Obaseki, who said this at the weekend in Benin during the World Kidney Day commemoration, noted that early detection of diseases saved costs and lives.

He explained that in the organised private sector, annual medical test was a standard practice and it provided current information on workers’ health condition and status.

“The only way to know if there are potential problems with your health is through a medical test. If there is a condition that poses a threat, you can spot it through tests and deal with it immediately. This way, you save yourself the agony, costs and other troubles that are associated with late detection of diseases,” the governor said.

Obaseki said his administration’s ongoing reforms in the health sector, particularly the establishment of Primary Health Care Centres (PHCs) across the state and the health insurance scheme, would eliminate barriers and encumbrances to quality health care services in the state.

“Our goal is to take quality health care services to the doorsteps of our people irrespective of their location, so that sufferers of kidney disease and other ailments can easily access these centres for care,” he added.

He advised Nigerians  to imbibe the culture of undergoing comprehensive health checks, at least once a year.