Navigating The Day With My Health On The Line

Going to the March Route on Saturday was very thrilling but it came with some negative backlash. After what felt like the journey to the promised land, I came back home tired and my body aching as my body was not used to this kind of activity. Sleeping did not help at all because when I woke up my whole body felt like I was hit by a truck and my head was a whole other story. It became obvious that the March had brought out the malaria in me and by dawn the next day, obvious signs of the illness surfaced. I bought some drugs to help relieve myself but after days of very little improvement I decided it was time to visit the health center for a proper check up.

Being a corp member comes some perks especially on health issues. Corpers are privileged to step into any health center that has affiliations with NHIS and their treatments would be free if the condition is not too dire or expensive. Since there was a primary health center just behind where I live I decided to go there today. The place was super busy just as expected and I decided to take a seat the way I saw other people doing. I waited for a bit before I was summoned to talk to a mature looking lady who happened to be the head nurse or something (not certain what she was called). Before narrating my predicament I immediately told her I was a corper and she told me that my treatment would be free so that really eased me a bit. She directed me to a room where my blood sample was taken to run some tests. The results came back a few minutes later and the nurse brought out a blank sheet to write down drug prescriptions for my use. The entire page was full before she handed it over to me with instructions to buy them before the day runs out and how to use them. The results of my trip to the primary health center was a complete waste as I thought I would be getting the drugs for free but sadly the primary health center operated differently. Angered I decided to go to the general hospital to see if the results would be different.

I boarded a motorcycle and in a few minutes, I was already at the location. The way the general hospital operated was completely different from the primary health center I was just coming from. The moment I told them I was a corper, the receptionist told me to provide my ID card to validate my identity which I did and I was immediately booked and taken to a doctor's office who also suggested I run another test. My blood was collected and tested before the results were handed over to the doctor who prescribed some drugs as well. I was told to head straight to the pharmacy to get the medications. When I got there, the nurses told me the bill was eight thousand naira but the moment I told them I was a corper, they gave it all to me for free ( the exact result I had hoped for). They also told me to follow them for my injection before I could go back home ending it all with a total of four injections in just a day. I went back home relieved and happy I did not get to spend much as my account balance was already running on its last leg.

For the first time in a long time I was ending my day with a win even though I still have to come back tomorrow for the rest of my injection but at the very least it is better than nothing. Thank you NYSC for this privilege, I promise to use it till the max as we all know it is never easy serving my motherland 🤣🤣.