WHY CENTER FOR POPULATION HEALTH INITIATIVES CONDUCTS FREE HEALTH SCREENING FOR PATIENTS-DR. AZIKPONO OZORE REVEALS
He is tall, quiet unassuming and clever with sharp mental reflexes that a medical doctor is known for. Doctor Azikpono Ozore stands above five feet and 7inches towering with uncommon sense of humility as he carries along his peculiar job of providing citizens free medical screening as he is designated as Medical Team Lead in charge of Centre For Population Health Initiatives a Non for Profit Making Non-Governmental Organization-NGO with head office at 4-Hughes Avenue, Yaba Lagos with Clinics at 15 Omerelu street GRA Phase 2 beside Hotel Presidential Port Harcourt.
He spoke to The Ear Witness Publisher/Editor-In-Chief, Emeka Amaefula {+234(0) 8111813069} as he explained the need for Nigerian Citizens to embrace medical Checks as a panacea for healthy living.
Excerpts
May I meet you?
I am Dr. Azikpono Ozore, I am the Medical team Lead of the Centre For Population Health Initiatives here at Port Harcourt Rivers state.
How did you start this outfit, is it a Non-Profit Organization?
CPHI is a Non-Profit Organization. Of course, we get funds from our funders to run free HIV testing and treatment of Sexually Transmitted Infections -STI. Recently we have included screening of some Cancers related cases such as screening of Cervical Cancer for females and screening for Prostate cancer for males.
After the screening and all that for patients what comes next?
For the Cervical cancer we have a machine that we can use to treat some levels of the Cervical cancer. So, it depends on the level. Depending on the level of the Cervical cancer, there is something they call scene one, scene two and scene three which is the grading of the cancer before the full-blown cancer. So, depending on the level of the cancer we can actually give some level of treatment here. But depending on the level we can refer you to Teaching Hospitals that are here in Port Harcourt to further provide treatment of the client. For prostate cancers, if we are able to establish that the client has prostrate cancer again, we have referral systems that we used to refer you to either of the teaching hospitals for you to see the urologist and they will continue the management of the client. So, essentially what we want to do, we just want to first of all let people have access to do screening for free. We do the free PSA Screening and digital rectal examination to ensure that we understand how the prostrate gland is, if the person has prostate cancer or not.
For the female we also screen them and know if they have the cervical cancer or not. So, depending on the result we will follow up with the patient and provide support.
How about patient that tested Positive for the HIV?
For Patients that tested Positive for HIV, for instance we have drugs that we have access through our funders to support the patient over the cost of treatment. So, we have drugs for HIV, we have drugs for Sceptering. We have drugs for Tuberculosis that can help prevent the patient from developing TB. We also have Free drugs. These drugs are free and these services are free. In case the patients should walk into our facility and access treatment.
When did you open and how have you been able to create awareness of this facility?
We started in December 2019 to be precise here in Rivers state but our office in Lagos has been there for close like ten years. From time to time we still give some form of advocacy for instance yesterday being Monday 23rd of May, 2022 we were in the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre Port Harcourt town to see how we can support them too in STI treatment for their inmates and HIV treatment too. We do create this kind of awareness among the population that we serve from time to time. We do one on-one campaign and we do group discussion and providing some form of Knowledge gap that is providing some form of knowledge for people and every other person. So, that is how we basically create the awareness.
What is your relationship with the Rivers state Ministry of Health?
We are in partnership with them. They are aware that we are here. They are aware of what we are doing. The department for SACA State Aids Program Unit they are aware that we are here. The Directorate of Public Health all of them they aware that we are here and they are aware of what we are doing as they also provide partnership from time to time to ensure that what we are doing in line with national guideline.
What do you mean by the acronym SACA?
That means State Action Committee On Aids. So, it is an arm of the Government that oversees the non-health sector drive for HIV. There is also another arm of the Rivers state Government Ministry of Health too, it is called SASCA that also works along the health sector part of it. Both the SACA and SASCA. SACA is directly under NACA, National Action Committee on Aids, NACA while SACA is directly under the State Ministry of Health.
Kindly lead us to your academic training.
I am a Medical Doctor by training. I graduated from the University of Port Harcourt Rivers state in 2013. I also have done my Masters degree in Public Health. And I have done several professional trainings in HIV treatment and TB management, Prostrate cancer screening, Cervical Cancer screening management and TB treatment. So, I have done several certifications around HIV and some diseases and all that.