Access Bank Renews Pledge To Improve Healthcare For Women In Nigeria

Posted by Eric Ojo Business News, Latest Headlines Tuesday, September 20th, 2022

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – A frontline multinational commercial bank, Access Bank PLC, has reiterated its commitment to improving the access of women to healthcare services in Nigeria.

Doubling down on efforts to accelerate the achievement of SDG 3, which focuses on good health and well-being, the Bank through its ‘W’ Initiative is set to embark on the third edition of its annual women’s Health Month programme in October.

The ‘W’ Health Month is a flagship health awareness program that began in 2019, focusing on key reproductive health issues- infertility, endometriosis, cancer, VVF, maternal & neonatal mortality affecting women.

In its 3 years, the ‘W’ Initiative has fostered access to free health talks, health walks, and free health screenings for breast and cervical cancer, eye, blood pressure, BMI, and more. So far, 393,435 women have been impacted through the health month activities with 3,811 screening beneficiaries.

The initiative remains committed to promoting healthcare accessibility for women and has continually done so through the Maternal Health Service Support (MHSS) – a discounted health financing product created specifically to enable payment of medical bills for fertility treatments, natal support, and other specialized procedures, making access to quality healthcare easier and convenient for women and their families.

The month-long campaign seeks to significantly decrease the mortality rate from preventable diseases, educate women on health-related concerns and elevate the overall quality of healthcare available to women in Nigeria.

Notably, the initiative also targets impacting up to 5,000 women with Health Month activities in October.

The ‘W’ Health Month will also feature a free webinar series hosted by renowned medical authorities who will offer vital insight into pressing healthcare conversations such as cancer, IVF, surrogacy, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, fibroids, and mental health every Thursday in the month.

The themes of the webinars are built around Cancer (October 6), Fertility and Fibroid Management (October 13), Chronic Diseases, Nutrition and Weight Management (October 20), and Mental Health (October 27).

Leveraging its partnership with prominent healthcare outfits — Chronicare Diabetes Management Centre, Hephzibah Eye Care, Skipper Eye Q, Evercare Hospital, Grandville Medical and Laser, and the Fibroid Care Centre at Nordica.

Moreover, the initiative will offer a variety of essential medical services, including free breast and cervical cancer screenings, comprehensive eye screenings, diabetes screenings as well as discounts and freebies at partnering institutions, throughout the campaign.

Group Head, ‘W’ Initiative at Access Bank, Abiodun Olubitan said: “In the few years we have spearheaded this initiative, the impact we have recorded has been nothing short of awe-inspiring. Staying true to our mantra to provide ‘More Than Banking’, our focus will be on providing thousands of women with accessible healthcare across eight pre-selected states of the Federation”.

One of the objectives of the ‘W’ Initiative, according to him, is to change the health narrative for many Nigerian women, especially those in underserved communities.

“This is what we will be striving to achieve with the forthcoming Health Month. We have seen positive results across previous editions and we will deepen the impact this year by offering free cancer checks and educational programmes, open fertility clinics, amongst others”, she stressed.