No fewer than 700 Lagos residents, Saturday, received free medical care ranging from eye test, blood pressure and sugar levels, cholesterol among others at Oshodi area of the state.
Out of the number, 210 children were deformed while about 480 adults were checked for various ailments and were given drugs.
The free medical care was an initiative of the Calvary Area Headquarters Lagos Province 27 of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
Some of the beneficiaries who spoke to Good Health said the initiative was a welcome idea as it has been saving lives of many within the community.
Among the beneficiaries is a 72-year-old grandmother, Mrs, Bosede Adedeji. She said: “I’m so happy about this program organised by this church annually. I come here every time it is held and they give me drugs which after I use works for me. Today, I was thoroughly checked and was given drugs fever and headache.
“I want the government to emulate this Church in this kind of gesture because they’re saving a lot of lives. I also want to thank the church for this,” she added.
As for Mrs. Uhoman Ingbi, who came with a wound on her leg, she equally, was examined and given free drugs.
She said, “I also consulted a doctor for my infertility challenge and was given a professional advice.
Ingbi, however urged the government to tap into such programs of this nature to halt a lot of deaths happening in different communities in Nigeria because it’s not everybody that has resources to visit health facilities.
She said, “It is not everybody that is buoyant to go to the hospital for checkups. So if through the church, government can be assisting in bringing something like this, there would be fewer deaths in Nigeria.”
One of the volunteer consultants from the General Hospital, Lagos Island, Dr. Fela Anade, commended the initiative, saying case of hypertension was pervasive among the people.
She said: “A lot of people in our environment have hypertension without knowing it and many of them are usually discovered in outreaches like this.
“Knowing that hypertension, usually described as a silent killer because it is usually not symptomatic and they’ll think they’re healthy meanwhile it is damaging their internal organ and the person only comes down with symptoms when the damage is far gone. That’s why I am very passionate about this kind of a thing, to detect hypertension before it has a chance to cause complications to the individual.”
Other partners the exercise include Chike Okoli Foundation, Emzor and Pharmatech Pharmaceuticals.
Speaking on behalf of the Chike Okoli Foundation and Emzor, Mrs Beauty Alfred, they were participating in the initiative to create awareness about cardiovascular disease, lifestyle in memory of Chike Okoli who died at 25 years as a result of undetected coronary artery diseases.
She said: “So the mother who is the founder of the foundation wants people to know about their health status to prevent such deaths in the country.”
However, the Outreach Coordinator, Deacon Joel Nwokeoma, said the medical outreach initiative which is in its 5th edition is a way of giving back to the society and extending the love of Christ to members of the community.
He noted that access to health in the country is so high that people of low status find it hard to access.
Nwokeoma said: “Through outreach, volunteer medical consultants and health professionals attend to the health needs of a wide range of people. They conduct free medical test, free consultations, and give free drugs to them.
“Also, in the last one year, we must commend the interventions of Emzor Pharmaceutical and Pharma Tech that have helped to donate drugs for us, if not for them, we would have spent a huge amount of money to provide the drugs.
“This year, Chike Okoli Foundation has been able to expand this intervention by bringing more than enough medical facilitate. We have four medical consultants from the LUTH and from other health institutions in Lagos,” she said.