By Jako Keke, April 25, 2026.
Final-year Nursing Science students of Taraba State University (TSU), Jalingo, have taken healthcare closer to underserved residents of Kona Garu, delivering free medical services and distributing essential drugs worth over ₦500,000 in a community outreach initiative.
The outreach, held at the Primary Health Care Centre in Kona Garu, forms part of the students’ mandatory clinical and community health engagement designed to bridge gaps in grassroots healthcare delivery while sharpening their professional competencies.
Residents who turned out for the exercise received a range of services, including blood pressure screening, HIV testing, and diagnosis for malaria and typhoid fever. The students also conducted extensive health education sessions and one-on-one counselling, targeting both communicable and non-communicable diseases.
Team leader, Nurse Gani Yakubani Kubuza, explained that the outreach aligns with the department’s curriculum requirement for 500-level students, emphasizing practical exposure to real-life community health challenges.
“Our goal is to provide free and accessible healthcare services while also applying the knowledge we have acquired in the classroom,” she said, noting that beneficiaries received medications at no cost based on their diagnoses.
Kubuza commended the university management, particularly the Vice Chancellor, Professor Paul Sunday Bako, alongside the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Department of Nursing Sciences, for enabling the initiative. She also praised her colleagues for their commitment to what she described as a vital community-based intervention.
In his remarks, the District Head of Kona, His Royal Highness Anthony Kaigama, lauded the students for selecting the community for the outreach, describing the gesture as timely and impactful. Although early morning rainfall affected turnout, he expressed optimism that more residents would take advantage of the services as the day progressed.
A senior lecturer in the Department of Nursing Sciences, Mr. Paul Anuye, noted that such outreach programmes are integral to training competent and community-oriented healthcare professionals.
“These exercises are structured to prepare students for effective service delivery upon graduation, especially in rural and underserved settings where healthcare access remains a challenge,” he said.
He further highlighted that beyond clinical services, the programme promotes preventive healthcare through education, a critical component in improving long-term public health outcomes.
Beneficiaries, including Juliana Nuhu and Edward John, expressed gratitude for the intervention, describing it as both timely and beneficial. They applauded the students for offering free consultations, tests, and medications, and prayed for the success of the initiative.
Health education sessions, led by Nurse Alice Ukoson, focused on personal hygiene, prevention and management of infectious diseases, as well as awareness and counselling on HIV/AIDS and typhoid fever.
The outreach underscores the growing role of academic institutions in supporting Nigeria’s primary healthcare system, particularly in rural communities where access to basic medical services remains limited.
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