Sodiq Ojuroungbe Child development experts and medical professionals have called for a concerted effort to enhance support for children with special needs. The experts emphasized the need for a unified approach to the growing concerns lapses in the current support systems and the need for comprehensive solutions. The experts, who were speakers at the YBC reunion event organised by the 2002 alumni of the University of Lagos College of Medicine, lamented that there is discrimination against children with special needs.
During the one-week-long event, the alumni unveiled kitchen and ceiling refurbishment donated to the Children’s Development Centre, Surulere, Lagos. The alumni also organised a free medical outreach for residents of Idi-Araba, and mentorship and coaching sessions for medical students at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Speaking in separate interviews with our correspondent on the sideline, the experts called for targeted interventions to ensure equitable support for all children irrespective of their health challenges.
The Chief Operating Officer of the Children’s Developmental Centre, Ebele Oputa emphasised the need for continuous public education and engagement to foster inclusivity. She lamented the scarcity of specialised centres outside Lagos for children with developmental challenges and underscored the critical need for more widespread support and awareness. Oputa elaborated on the centre’s advocacy work, including extensive roadshows across 2.
