More than 100 women from Rivers State and its environs, participated  in a uterine fibroids health awareness programme held  in Port Harcourt, Rivers State,  to mark the 18th anniversary of the O.B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation.

 

The event was a component of a comprehensive health outreach campaign targeted at protecting and promoting women’s reproductive health. It  featured free medical consultations, counselling and screening for women’s reproductive health issues.

 

What delighted many of those who attended the event, which took place at  La Sien Pavilion, 22 Forces Road, Port Harcourt, was the good news that no fewer than 100 lucky ones among the women suffering from uterine fibroids would benefit from free surgeries to relieve them of the pain and despair caused by the dreadful condition.

 

Fibroids grow in the womb and can cause excessive menstrual bleeding, premature labour, severe bodily pains, miscarriage, and even infertility in women. Few can afford the prohibitive cost (about N500,000) to surgically remove the fibroids or the womb, which is the most common medical treatment for the condition in Nigeria where women seek treatment when the fibroids are causing acute discomfort. A lot of post-surgery care is also required.

 

The O.B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation was established in 2001 by Dr (Mrs) Seinye O.B. Lulu-Briggs to celebrate, structure and institutionalise her husband, national statesman High Chief (Dr) O.B. Lulu-Briggs who passed away on December 27, 2018 in Accra, Ghana. Lulu-Briggs was widely known for his prolific philanthropy and charitable giving, which was targeted at bringing succour to the most vulnerable and under-served.

 

According to the organisers: “The foundation began its work with the Care for Life Programme, which has provided over 500 with a safety-net of free healthcare, shelter, hot meals, monthly food baskets, cash stipends and social and spiritual support to elderly citizens in Rivers State. It remains one of just a few programmes focusing on the elderly in Nigeria. Other platforms the Foundation uses include Free Medical Missions.

 

“These are five-day medical camps in rural and semi-urban areas where a team comprising volunteer doctors, pharmacists, medical laboratory technologists, and non-medical professions provide medical care, including surgeries (eye, hernia, appendicitis, etc.), health awareness information and distribute eyeglasses. Since 2005, 124,826 men, women and children in Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River and Rivers states have received treatment free of charge. “

 

They added: “The Foundation’s Education and Scholarships Programme renovates schools,  gives cash incentives to teaching and non-teaching staff and awards scholarships to encourage academic excellence among students at the primary secondary and tertiary levels, including St. Augustine Nursery and Primary School, Abonnema and Community Secondary School, Krakrama.