Chinedum Treasure
No fewer than 450 Uke rural dwellers in Idemili North Local Government, Anambra State have benefited from free medical outreach sponsored by two illustrious sons of the community who have been investing millions of naira to ensure proper healthcare of their people.
The major sponsors of the free medical outreach which has been running for the last three consecutive years are Prof Chiemelu Emegoakor, a Chief Consultant Surgeon, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital and Chief Medical Director Eldorado Specialist Hospital, Awka while the other benefactor is Chief Dr. Emma Nwokedi, a US-based oncologist with sub specialty in radiation oncology.
Speaking during the outreach at the Primary Healthcare Center, Uke, Emegoakor said their passion to assist people around them informed the decision for the free medical surgeries, treatment and drug administration.
He said, “We are sponsoring this medical outreach because we are doctors and indigenes of Uke community. We treat people all over the world.
“So if we come to our hometown Uke for Christmas, we feel we should help attend to medical needs of our people the much we can as our contribution to the development of our society .
“If we must check the cost of the surgeries, services and drugs we are giving out today it is not lesser than N20million. Part of the free services include four goiter surgeries, 3 Linear surgeries, 3 Laparoscopy surgeries as well as free drugs that will cover for up to 3 months depending on the illnesses.
“We are also going to treat patients with Malaria, typhoid, ulcers, diabetes hypertension, arthritis and simple bacteria infections.
According to Nwokedi, most of the minor ailments are not peculiar to Uke people but a challenge to rural dwellers.
“Apart from the health reasons for the minor surgeries, every other ailment, hypertension, blood pressure, malaria, arthritis and their likes are common health denominators found among rural dwellers and even in the urban cities especially in the present dispensation and because of that, we feel committed to giving our people to needed reprieve through counseling”, he explained.
While noting that the program was almost becoming an annual event, Nwokedi revealed that next year’s package would superceded the current edition judging from grey areas identified in the process.
The Matron PHC, Uke, Mrs Jenifer Ezenwuba sang praises of the two benefactors saying, “for the last three years I’ve been in charge of the PHC hundreds of people from the community who have benefited from the medical outreach never came back complaining of any complications.
“The doctors in this outreach are very meticulous and they value human life”.
One of the organizers of the outreach and former Uke Development Union Lagos branch Chairman, Hon. Anayo Emmanuel eulogized the sponsors saying the community was proud of them.
He prayed God to continue to protect and keep the duo in good health because of their generousity and kindness worthy of emulation by other illustrious sons and daughters of Uke community.
Earlier in the event, Dr Mrs Ijeoma Okedo-Alex gave a heath talk on benefits of sleeping inside insecticidal mosquito nets, sports, drinking clean water, sleep, fruits and vegetables, environmental sanitation, personal hygiene, and regular check of blood pressure and sugar level.
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