By Steve Oko

Jennifer Etuh Foundation, has commenced a five -day free medical outreach in Amokwe Item community, Bende Local Government Area of Abia State.

The outreach was, however, relocated to neighbouring Umunyere Alayi Health Centre, and Uzuakoli Health Centre recently renovated by the State Government which have the needed support facilities for surgeries.

Statistics revealed that no fewer than 1, 657 persons including surgery cases had been treated as at day two of the exercise.

Free eye glasses were also given to patients with eye challenges while mosquito nets and other items were equally given to some persons.

Speaking with Vanguard at Umunyere Alayi Health Centre, the Programme Manager for the Foundation, Mr. Joe Otu, said about 3000 indigent patients were targeted for the scheme.

He explained that the Foundation was established in 2021 in memory of the late Mrs Jennifer Ramatue to provide free medical support for the economically challenged persons in society.

According to him, the late Jennifer who hailed from Kaduna but married in Kogi, had instructed that six hospitals be established in the six ge-opolitical zones in Nigeria to provide free medical care for people in her memory.

“Before passing on, she asked the family to set up six hospitals across the six geopolitical zones. So, we have the hospital now in Kogi, Kaduna, Imo, Cross River, Osun and Gombe States. Since 2022, we have been carrying out free medical outreaches in all the six hospitals.

“But this time, we extended beyond the locations where we have hospitals. We have gone to places where we don’t have hospitals, like Akwa Ibom, Ekiti , and now Abia State, to extend free medical outreaches that we carry out each year.”

He said that over 80 medics including 30 medical doctors, and other health professionals were on the team.

“We come into communities, carry out free surgeries, dental care, eye care, eye surgeries, and health promotions. We give out brown soaps, mosquito nets and other items to people.

” You can see our dental truck where we have dental surgeries on-going. On the first day alone, we had 29 surgeries. The number will swell by the end of the exercise”, he said.

The Programme Manager who disclosed that the exercise started with distribution of palliatives to over 500 widows, assured that all those who showed up for the scheme would be attended to.

One of the doctors on the team, Dr Ezekiel Ofofon-Ono from the Federal Medical Centre, FMC Umuahia, identified high blood pressure, eye challenges and osteoarthritis (chronic pains) especially among the elderly, as some of the rampart cases in the community.

“A couple of people presented with high blood pressure. And one thing that is common with most of them is that a lot of them didn’t know that they had high blood pressure before now. So, it’s just their first time to hear that their BP is high.

“We have seen lots of osteoarthritis, people with chronic pains sometimes on their waist or both legs. It’s very worrisome to them. It prevents them from going about their daily activities.”

Dr Ofofon-Ono pleaded with Government to improve facilities at primary health centres because “they are the ones that serve the community directly”.

“If PHCs are well equipped, people can easily walk in and get their blood pressure checked”, he said.

He advised against high intake of salt, and advocated regular blood pressure monitoring, exercise and regular checks of vital signs.

“Adding salt to cooked food is not advisable”, he cautioned.

Another doctor, a Dental Surgeon, Dr Christopher Aniamaka, said a number of dental cases and surgeries had been handled by the team.

He noted that oral hygiene was low in rural communities and advised people to brush their mouth especially after last meal of the day to avoid tooth decay.

Statistics revealed that a total of 1, 657 patients had been treated on day two of the exercise.

Some of the beneficiaries, Mrs Mercy Ogbakesa, 57; and Blessing Maxwell, 40, thanked the Foundation for coming to their rescue.

Another beneficiary, Ucheya Uguru, a retired teacher, who said he was diagnosed of cataract which was not yet due for surgery, also thanked the Foundation for showing care for the indigent folks in rural communities.

A community leader, Ezeogo Chief David Ndukwe, expressed delight that the community was considered for the humanitarian gesture.

He rained blessings on the Foundation for identifying with the downtrodden.