The Lagos State Government and the National Youth Service Corps have started a free medical screening for residents of rural communities in the state.

The screening, being carried out by corps members who are doctors, dentists and lab scientists, will be done in about 50 villages, according to a statement on Wednesday.

At the inauguration of the screening at Ese Ofin, a riverine community in the Otto Awori Local Council Development Area on Tuesday, hundreds of rural residents were screened for blood pressure, malaria and diabetes, while those with mild ailments were given free drugs.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Rural Development, Cornelius Ojelabi, who commended the NYSC for the gesture, said the free medical screening was needed most at the grass roots.

He said but for initiatives like that, many residents of the rural areas would not have the opportunity of medical screening because many of them did not like to go to the city.

The commissioner said, “We should always embark on periodic medical screening at the primary healthcare centre and avoid self-medication as it could lead to death.

“The youth corps members should take up appointment in the rural areas after their service year, as their services are greatly needed in order to stem rural-urban drift.”

The NYSC Lagos State Coordinator, Cyril Akhanemhe, said the body found it necessary to take health sensitisation to the rural area because many of the residents could not afford the cost of medical check-up.

He said, “Some of them might be hypertensive without knowing it. About 50 doctors among the corps members have been mobilised for the exercise.”