Posted on: Thu 25-01-2024

With over 500 persons who have so far received free treatment as part of the yearly medical outreach organized by the Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe Foundation, the foundation has indeed offered the best Father's Christmas gift to the residents of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

In collaboration with the family care hospital, last year December free medical outreach saw residents of Etegwe, Biogbolo, and many other communities in the Yenagoa metropolis, turn out in large numbers to receive the free medical check and treatment at the multi-million naira Family Care hospital, owned by the Professor of Family Medicine.

The medical outreach which enters its sixth year was part of his genuine effort at giving back to the society and to mark the 5th anniversary of one of the best hospitals in the state and his 55th birthday anniversary.

Some of the services rendered free of charge at the outreach include General Medical Consultation and treatment, eye screening and provision of free glasses, dental care, tooth extraction scaling, and polishing.

Others include Community HIV and TB screening and Diagnosis, Immunization and Deworming of under five children, COVID-19, Yellow fever and HPV vaccination, Basic Laboratory tests, and free surgery operations and care.

The outreach had many volunteers including Medical Doctors, Dentists, Pharmacists, Pharmacist technicians, Nurses, medical Records Professionals, Community Health Workers, Public Health professionals, Medical students, Admin personnel, friends, and family members.

Consultant Family Care Hospital, Dr. Tarila Aweipekumo while enumerating the various healthcare services delivered in the outreach and scope of the event, emphasized that the free healthcare service is pertinent to give back to the society.

Giving the story of how the journey started six years ago in 2018, Dr.Aweipekumo, enumerated the numbers of communities across the local areas in the state that have so far benefited from the kind gesture of Prof. Brisibe.

The communities he said include Biseni Tein Community with 250 beneficiaries, Ayama Ijaw Community with 260 Beneficiaries, and Okoloba/Sabagriea Community, with 311 Beneficiaries.

Others include Bomoundi-Gbene Community with 312 Beneficiaries, Otuoke Community, 303 Beneficiaries and Opolo Epie Community with 455 Beneficiaries, while 300 free Eyeglasses were given for Correction of Refractive Errors and two free surgeries each year from 2018 till date.

He said Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe, is very passionate about giving free medical care and social support to indigent and most vulnerable people in society, especially, in Bayelsa State.

He said the event also marked one of the activities to commemorate the birthday of Professor Seiyefa Brisibe.

Speaking at the event, Professor Brisibe, appreciated family, friends, and colleagues for the accolades and support, noting that he is inspired to save lives, because of the motivation from his parents.

He advised beneficiaries to take advantage of the free medical services to know their health status by checking to know if the situation needs prompt diagnosis and treatment to reduce the mortality rate in Bayelsa and Nigeria at large.

He said, “One of the reasons for this outreach is to render service to those that need it. I’m happy presently about the turnout. 

“Usually, when you start this program in the rural areas, people start coming from far and wide, and fortunately for us, we’ve been able to get about four buses conveying people from the Opolo community and Biogbolo to this place.

“We are here to save lives and believe that we have been in the community and it is time for us to give back to the community, that is why we are doing what we are doing. I want to thank everybody that have found time to volunteer, most especially the volunteers, because these volunteers are not paid a dime but year in, year out they find time to give back to society, and for me one of the philosophies or one of the core thing about this program is to encourage people to imbibe the attitude of volunteering. 

“I could remember as a child while we were growing up in our communities, the road between my community and my secondary school was being cleared from time to time, the track roads by those volunteering during the weekends. 

“Young people will just come together, mobilize ourselves, carry what we call ‘stigma’ in those days; I don’t know if that’s still the name they call it and clear the road. That is how we as a people, that is what defines us as a people.”

He also said one of the aims of the outreach was to encourage people to imbibe the culture of accessing medical care early when they have challenges as timely medical attention will help before their ailments get complicated.

Also speaking, the wife of Prof” Brisibe, Dr. Beimonyo Brisibe, and Manager of Family Care Hospital, Beauty Eyo,  described the Professor as a philanthropist who derived pleasure in impacting lives through his medical outreach within and outside Bayelsa State.

The Paramount Ruler of the Opolo Community, Chief Gabriel Ekezie, and his counterpart from the Biogbolo Community, Chief Frank Amos thank Professor Brisibe and his team for his gesture to bring succor to host communities of Family Care Hospital.

Some beneficiaries, who spoke to our correspondents, include Elder Peggy Dorgu, Michael Makpa and Youth President of Opolo, Comrade Collins Grey applauded the Outreach Team and Management of the Hospital for touching lives within the host communities.

One of the volunteers, Pharmacist Irene Dawa, described Prof. Brisibe, as a father, who encourages health workers to volunteer their time in giving back to society.

“I worked with Professor Brisibe and I know he’s someone who encourages us to volunteer and I know volunteering in this season of Christmas is a way of giving back. So it’s my little way of giving back to the community by my service to humanity.

“I  feel very good, especially when I’m attending to someone who I know cannot afford the drug. And when we are done, they would say God bless you. That is so fulfilling.

“I would encourage others to also come on board. Help encourage him by contributing to fund the drugs and other parts of the program here.”

One of the beneficiaries, Simeon, said, “Is sometimes more than the sermon you preach on the pulpit. When Christ was in the world he gathered people. After giving them the gospel, you understand that He didn’t send them away, He provided food for them. 

“Prof, today out of his benevolence and kindness, his foundation is providing healthcare free of charge to even people he does not know. First and foremost, I want to appeal to Bayelsans to take the opportunity of this kind of gesture concerning their health and secondly, God in his infinite mercy will be putting a lot of blessings before Prof, his wife, and his family and keep them because what they are doing it’s only God that can pay them back not humans, not anybody.”

The elated youth President of the Opolo Community, Collins Gray, while commending the Profesor for his kind gesture, said the people of Opolo and Yenagoa local government were so happy about the program.

He said, “For healthcare, it’s not easy for someone to bring out this kind of free healthcare services in the Local government and you can see the number of crowd that is here to take their treatment and we are so much happy; especially I, myself, the youth president of Opolo I’m so much happy.

“As in fact, for this program, this young man is doing. We need the government to support him very massively to see how people should take their healthcare very seriously because he’s helping the masses so much. 

So far, over 2,400 have benefited from the foundation's benevofoundation'slence across over 15 communities across the state, and more are expected to get succor to come to the next outreach. 

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