Checking for eye impairment
In keeping with its avowed commitment to reach a sizeable number of indigent Nigerians needing medical assistance in specifically targeted communities, the National Association of Seadogs (Pyrates Confraternity) an international non-governmental social advocacy and humanistic organisation, on Friday February 6, embarked on free medical outreach to Owo Community in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State.
.
About 1,500 indigenes benefited from the medical outreach, while the services included medical consultation, screening and eye checks.
.Several people were diagnosed and treated of diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood glucose and malaria parasite.
.
The NAS Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Patrick Briggs, told journalists that they embarked on the free medical mission to help the less privileged in the rural community access their facilities.
.
“We are here today because this is part of our quarterly meetings. We meet in different areas in the country and carry out different activities. One of those activities is what we call the NAS medical mission.
.
“So basically we chose rural areas, preferably where the rural populace is either a bit indigent or find it difficult to get access to medical services as frequently as we would want them to and we carry out basic checks on them like blood pressure, checking their blood glucose, malaria parasite and other tests as well.
.
“So, by doing this we are able to pick up, like you know, people with high blood pressure or high blood glucose which eventually lead to diabetes.
.Don’t worry, medical help is around, courtesy NAS“Many a times when they have these conditions, they don’t know because they don’t have any symptoms, everybody feels so I am fine. So what we intend to do here is when we discover things, we able to educate the person and say this is what we found and you need to start monitoring this going forward and we actually provide medication as well, at least to get them started and if possible, go on to the hospital to be followed up and be having checks,” he adding, “we hope with this little thing we are doing, we are able to help people manage their health better and save life.”
.
The vice president of NAS, Enugu brach, Dr. Okechukwu Ogbodo explained why they chose Owo Community for the free medical outreach.
.
“We chose this place because of the peculiarity of the place. Because we have had a cholera outbreak two years ago here, we want to do what we call community diagnosis and found out that there is a lot of diseases that are happening in this place which is why we said that with the kind of professionals we have within the association, we feel that we can combat them.
.
“We have different rural areas but we must chose one. This is not the first time done this, we have done in other rural villages like Iva Valley, some areas of Nsukka, some areas of Awgu, so it is now the turn of Nkanu East that is why we chose this place,” he explained, pointing out that, “we are targeting over 1,500 people. When we went to Igwe, we saw a lot of people who indicated that they are coming here.”
.One of the doctors in the medical team, Dr. Godfrey disclosed that each medical mission cost about N3.5 million.
.
“It is usually a budget of about N3.5 million each mission and you know we do quite a bit every three months we embark on a mission.
Basically we have hypertension, diabetics and those with hypertension and diabetes combined. Then for the children you have scabies, malaria, etc.”
.
The natives expressed joy for receiving free medical services from the Association and wished them well.
.
Consultant and out-patient
Mrs. Cecilia Nnamchi came for eye problem and was given eye glass to ameliorate her problem. “I thank God for them for the help they rendered to my. They examined me and gave me glass for my eye problem. May God bless them.
.
Donatus Ede who also was diagnosed of eye and dental problem thanked NAS for their kind gesture. “They gave me drugs for my eye and a free glass and referred me to Parklane for my dental problem,” he said.
