NO fewer than 200 indigenes of Amaigbo community in Afikpo South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, last weekend, benefited from the free medical treatment of Healthcare Educational Liaison.
Project HELP, which started in the United States of America, USA, in 2007, reaches out mostly to the elderly, middle aged and infants across the community as the last exercise witnessed a large turnout in the area.
In a chat with South-East Voice, the founder of HELP and Coordinator of the free medical services who is a practicing cardiologist based in USA, Dr, John Kalu Ijem stated that the outreach was meant to care for the immediate medical needs of the people at no cost as critical cases were referred to clinics or health centres close by for continued medical treatment.
“The reason for this is that when I graduated from medical school, I went to Kenya for medical mission and I saw what the people passed through before they could access medical treatment. After my ugly experience, I said there is a need in my own village to provide free medical services to my people. There and then, I decided to form HELP Organisation. Since I formed the organisation, I have been offering free medical services to my people.
“From time to time I come back here in my village to offer free medical services to my own people. Because of the hectic logistics involved, I tried to see at least 200 patients and once I am done with them as we are doing today, whatever is left I refer them to local clinics to continue and whatever drugs left, I give to them.
“Primarily, in over a year, I have spent $30,000 to organise this. The drugs are very expensive and all the drugs I give to the patients are from the USA and the cost of transportation is usually high to bring the drugs to Nigeria.
“Mostly elderly, middle aged and infants benefit from this medical service. We don’t do any testing such as drawing blood. What we run is a dry clinic whereby we know the majority of the indigent patients.
Their most common complaints are arthritis, pains, among others. So, we try to give them drugs during the free medical services to relieve them from pains. They also complain of malaria and I brought enough malaria drugs for 200 patients and also multivitamins because sometimes mal-nutrition is a big issue here. So I also brought multivitamins and other drugs.
“I have individuals who donate $5, $10 but the principal funding comes from me. Since 2007, we have been doing it. We started in this community about five years ago. We did it in Abakaliki where we had a pioneer clinic. Because of the logistics in organising it, we only lasted for one year there. We have some local physicians who help me in this medical service.”
One of the beneficiaries of the exercise, Mrs. Gloria Onu-Ndiba Edda expressed happiness over the contributions of Dr. Kalu towards improving the health of the community members.
“I always have waist pains. I later got injured on my leg when a bottle hit me on the leg and it wants to prevent me from walking. I don’t always sleep as a result of the severe pains from the injury. I also experience eye problems; I no longer see well.
“I am very happy for this treatment offered me by the doctors through our own son, Dr. Kalu. I am very much glad.”
By: Peter Okutu Abakaliki
Vanguard News
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