A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Oak Rural Health Organisation, says concerted efforts will help to reduce the burden of malaria and malnutrition in rural areas.

Mr Amos Ajisekola, the Chairman of the NGO, disclosed this in Ibadan on Sunday at the rural healthcare outreach to Melemuku village in Akinyele Local Government Area of Ibadan, Oyo State.

Ajisekola, who is also a public health nurse, said the organisation chose the village because of its centrality in relation to other villages suffering from the scourge of malaria and malnutrition, according to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN.

“We do series of outreaches in villages and our observation is that the problem of malaria and malnutrition are common with rural dwellers.

“We observed that those we see either present with hypertension or some people don’t even know they are hypertensive or just getting to know about their health status for the first time.

“We want to ensure healthy and productive rural life by reducing the burden of grassroots malaria, malnutrition and hypertension through medical counselling, diagnosis and treatment of diseases,’’ he said.

Also speaking, a medical expert, Dr Olusola Lana, stated that reducing the burden of malaria and malnutrition was a global campaign which individuals must key into for a healthy life.

“Within this immediate environment part of the things needed to be done is to reduce the burden of malnutrition.

“ The truth is you don’t have to be rich to eat well, it is only a matter of food combination to get the required nutrients the body needs to grow well.

“Those who stay in the rural areas have the opportunity to eat good food than those in the urban centres but the main reason why malnutrition is prevalent in the rural areas is knowledge on food combination,’’ he said.

Lana further stressed the need to eat fresh food, vegetables and fruits as well as drink clean water.

Mrs Sarata Gbadamosi, one of the beneficiaries of the free medical outreach and farmer, said the programme was timely and would go a long way to help the villagers.