The Director General of National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Brigadier General Y.D. Ahmed has affirmed that the scheme will prioritise rural communities in posting corps members.
He said that more corps members, especially medical personnel, would be posted to rural areas.
He said this is for the purpose of improving the wellbeing of indigent Nigerians.
Ahmed stated this while playing host to the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, Dr Muyi Aina, at the NYSC National Directorate Headquarters, Maitama, Abuja.
According to him, “Nigeria’s rural areas need corps services more than the urban centres.”
He further expressed satisfaction over how Nigerian graduates, including corps medical personnel, apply to serve their fatherland.
He directed the Corps Welfare and Health Services Department to work with officials from NPHCDA to review and revive the now dormant partnership between the two agencies.
The Executive Director of NPHCDA, Dr Muyi Aina, commended NYSC for staffing the health centres in rural areas with corps medical personnel, whose contributions have made great impact in the nation’s health sector.
Pointing out that there is a shortage of medical personnel to meet the nation’s need, Aina cited his service year experience when he had to work in three different primary health care centres in Apapa, Lagos, owing to the deficit of medical personnel.
He said part of the reason for his visit was to explore the possibility of reviving the partnership between the two agencies, which had become moribund.
He then promised that his agency would support NYSC camp clinics with essential medical supplies and consumables.
More medical corps members will be posted to rural areas – NYSC DG Ahmed