Currently, Ethiopia is in a high rainfall season. During this season, schools across the country are closed for vacation. Thus, the season is a peak season when free voluntarism services are mobilized throughout the country; and several youths participate in volunteering activities that have greater importance in addressing the challenges of the community, mainly those individuals who need support.
This year, the Ethiopian government announced the annual National Summer Voluntarism Service Program and revealed that a goal was set to impact the lives of more than 50 million Ethiopians substantially. And some 39 million volunteers are expected to participate in the ongoing national summer voluntarism services.
Accordingly, the annual summer voluntarism services campaign significantly contributes to improving the lives of millions of people in need across the country. Renovating and reconstructing the depleted houses of the disadvantaged segments of society and elderly people, donating blood, providing free medical services, participating in the green legacy tree seedling initiative, free tutoring by university students, and farming activities in rural areas, among others prove that the national summer voluntarism services ensure that no one is left behind.
The nationwide campaign, operating under the theme “Benevolence and Unity for Ethiopia’s Ascendance,” aims to cultivate a spirit of solidarity and collective advancement through voluntary community services which is a deeply rooted in Ethiopian cultures and traditions, in addition to addressing the challenges of the community.
Therefore, youths and different professionals in various sectors are joining hands to the successful accomplishment of this year’s national summer voluntarism services campaign.
As part of this effort, various health institutions in Addis Ababa and states are currently offering free health awareness and medical treatment services to the community.
For instance, Yekatit 12 Hospital Medical College in its summer volunteering program is offering free examination and medical treatment services to nearly 10,000 – 12,000 residents of the city who cannot pay for treatment. According to the Hospital, the medical practitioners and the staff are providing surgical Addressing health problems via summer volunteer programs
services to the patients who have been in the surgery waiting list of the Hospital for a longer time, not less than a year.
According to the Hospital’s schedule, it is targeted to carry out 23 surgical, 3 cholecystectomies, and 20 above-neck surgeries this summer voluntary program.
Various hospitals in the capital are also offering free medical treatment services to the community including conducting blood pressure, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS tests and cervical cancer and pre-cancer detection services after identifying the needy.
Similarly, the Ayder and Aksum Comprehensive Specialized hospitals, in Tigray State have commenced provision of free medical services targeting to benefit more than 22,000 individuals at a summer voluntary service.
Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital Deputy Medical Director Meskelu Kidu (MD) told ENA that, the Hospital provides voluntary support every year in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
Accordingly, there is also a blood donation program and it is targeted to collect 1,000 units of blood in coordination with Mekelle Blood Bank, he added.
Concurrent to this, the Hospital’s health professionals are providing awareness creation training to the community on health and health-related issues especially communicable diseases.
The free medical treatment services will be given in selected places in Mekelle Town. Further, awareness creation works on health protection will also be given to girls in connection with the Ashenda Festival, he remarked.
Mentioning the plan to access the services for more than 11,000 residents in Mekele in this year’s voluntary service, he said the service provision will run up to the end of this month.
On his part, Aksum Comprehensive Hospital Deputy Medical Director and Voluntary Service Coordinator Abraha Hagos (MD) said that, the hospital in collaboration with the Ministry of Health is providing voluntary service within its premises and in four areas; located in Aksum Town.
More than 11,500 individuals sought to benefit from the free medical services on communicable and non-communicable diseases including eye treatment, he noted.
As to him, in the past four days, more than 2,000 citizens have benefited from the free medical treatment services.
In addition, awareness-raising training has been given to more than 3,600 members of the community focusing on disease prevention and precaution measures, he said. A green legacy tree seedling program is also the other program that will be held in places selected by the Aksum Town Administration, he added.
Meanwhile, the ALERT Comprehensive Specialized Hospital revealed that general health examination and counseling services were given to over 410 student-parent communities by the Holistic Opportunity for Humanity Organization.
A medical team led by the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health provided free health care services including general check-ups for eye, skin, diabetes, blood pressure, and internal diseases to students’ parent communities.
Awareness-raising training was also given to parents and students on ways they can maintain hygiene and protect themselves and their children from infectious and waterborne diseases that happen in rainy seasons.
It is believed that several citizens will be exposed to unnecessary health and economic crises due to the lack of awareness. During this time, numerous individuals face the challenges of communicable and non-communicable diseases. Thus, expanding the experience of such hospitals and health professionals through successive awareness creation efforts is important to save millions from unwanted economic loss and stress due to health problems.
Accordingly, supporting the needy in the health sector and providing free medical treatment services for these segments of society will realize the country’s efforts of availing health services to vulnerable communities and build a healthy and productive society.
In sum, there is nothing more critical than health. Different countries with better health services access will have a better opportunity to boost their economy and improve the socio-economic lives of the society. Ensuring societal health and addressing health service problems will have significant contributions to realizing this. The ongoing voluntarism service will help save millions of currency, especially in the health sector where patients relive from their psychosocial trauma easily. Expanding such voluntarism services in the health sector is also crucial to address the health service gap witnessed in the rural part of the country
BY TEWODROS KASSA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 13 AUGUST 2024
