When the buses that conveyed second year medical and dental students of the University Of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) arrived at the assembly ground of Ediaken Primary School in Benin city, the environment was calm. As soon as the students, dressed in white ward coat alighted from the buses, apprehension was visible on the faces of the pupils.
Five-year-old Unity Osakpamwan, a primary one pupil, broke the silence of his panic-stricken colleagues. Everyone watched with amazement as he said,  ‘Why are you people here? Hope you haven’t come to give us ‘injection’ because we are not sick? I wonder why you people will leave your hospital and come after us in our school?’
His comments triggered an outburst of laughter. But Unity was not the only pupil afraid of being injected. Other pupils expressed similar fears in other classes.
The UNIBEN students were at the primary school for their annual primary school health campaign of the Christian Medical and Dental Association Students (CMDAS). The event, according to Win Efimueh, was to sensitize the pupils on current health problems, ways of avoiding them and also offer career counselling.
During the outreach programme, the students delivered health, career and salvation talks. They also presented gift items to the school and pupils who distinguished themselves in a spelling competition.
Responding on behalf of the school, Mrs F.I Aigbehi, thanked the UNIBEN students for organising the programme. She encouraged the students to sustain the relationship between the school and the association.
“Your coming here today is history for some pupils. Many of them are already motivated seeing you in your white coat,” she added.
Some of the students, Daniel Okpani and Mercy Imaro, who spoke with our reporter, expressed joy for participating in the health outreach programme.
“I feel happy because I just mentored some pupils. The outreach also brought to my mind how I was 11 years ago. I miss primary school,” Okpani said.
The success of the programme was echoed by the pupils’ excitement.  Little wonder, Unity shook off his initial fears and ran after the UNIBEN students’ bus, saying, “Thank you for coming. I will go home and teach my friends and family the hygiene tips you taught me. I will like to be a doctor so that I can leave my hospital and go to schools the way you people have done today.”

UNIBEN medical students take health campaign to primary school