Students’ medical mission to Edo schools

When the coastal buses that conveyed medical and dental students of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) stopped at the assembly ground of Ediaken Primary School in Benin City, pupils trooped out to welcome them.
The students, decked in white laboratory coats, were urshered into their classrooms by the elated pupils.
Unity Osakpamwan, a five-year-old pupil, asked: “Why are you people here? Hope you haven’t come to give us injection because we are not sick. I wonder why you people will leave your hospital and come after us?”
There was an outburst of laughter. Like Unity, other pupils expressed the same fear as a similar version of the drama played out in other classes.
The students were at the school for the annual primary school health campaign of the Christian Medical and Dental Association Students (CMDAS).The event, according to Win Efimueh, was organised to sensitise the pupils on prevailing health problems, ways of avoiding them and career counselling sessions.
“As children, they are at the formative stage of development and any habit they pick up is likely going to stay with them. We are here to teach them the right health habit so they can inculcate them”, he stated.
The students also presented gift items to the school and pupils who distinguished themselves in a spelling bee competition.

Replying on behalf of the school, Mrs F.I Aigbehi, thanked the students for finding time to hold the programme. She encouraged the students to sustain the relationship between the school and association.
Daniel Okpani and Mercy Imaro said they were happy to have partaken in the campaign.
He said: “I feel happy because I have just mentored some pupils. The outreach also brought to my remembrance how I was 11 years ago, a feeling which inspired my empathy for the pupils.

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