–As Delta First Lady, Pharmacists Walk for Vaccination
As part of activities lined up for the ongoing 42nd ACPN National Conference 2023, tagged ‘The Big Heart’, members of the association, led by the First Lady of Delta State, Chief Mrs Tobore Oborevwori, National Chairman, ACPN, Pharm. Wale Oladigbolu, elder statesman and a Fellow of the PSN, Pharm. (Dr) Paul Enebeli, and other members of the National Executive Council, took to the streets of Asaba, Delta State capital, to walk for vaccination awareness creation.
The ACPN Walk for Vaccination started at the popular Okpanam road, and cut across major streets around the city, while it terminated at the Nnebisi Road, Asaba.
Addressing members after the exercise, the Wife of the Governor, who was represented by the Wife of the Deputy Governor, Lady Kate Onyeme, noted that she actively took part in the walk for the purpose of personal exercise towards fitness, as well as to join the ACPN in driving home the message about the importance of vaccination, adding that she took averagely 5000 steps to get to the point where the ‘Walk’ terminated.
According to her, the presence of the community pharmacists in the state for a week would no doubt become a blessing to the state as far as healthcare is concerned, adding that the state is doing well in the aspect of healthcare for its people.
While speaking, the ACPN boss, Pharm. Oladigbolu noted that the walk was purposely organised to drive inclusiveness for vaccines, adding that the prevalence of children vaccination in urban centres is just about 44 percent, which necessitated the need to call on people to bring their children out so as to be vaccinated.
“There are also vaccines for adults, as you know that World Hepatitis Day was celebrated not long ago, and we all know how dangerous hepatitis is, so it is on this note that we are calling on people to get vaccinated, in order to live a better and healthier life”.
Speaking further, he noted that the walk was also to demolish cultural barriers to vaccination and allay people’s fear about it, adding that community pharmacists as key players in the healthcare team owe it a responsibility to sensitise the public on major health challenges, adding that the ‘walk’ was in fulfillment of that responsibility.
His words, “The conference is ongoing and it started on 31, July to 4 August at the Dome Event Centre, Okpanam Road, Asaba, Delta State, with the theme “Building effective community pharmacy services for Universal Health Coverage”, under the chairmanship of Dr (Mrs) Dere Awosika, chairman, Access Bank Plc.
