NGO offers free-medical outreach for community in Lagos

 

The Zarephath Women of God’s Plan Missions (ZWGM), an NGO, have offered a thanksgiving service and free medical outreach to residents of Lawanson community in Lagos State.

The medical outreach and thanksgiving service were organised as part of the grand finale activities to mark the one year anniversary of the organisation on Sunday in Lagos.

Pastor (Mrs) Ruth Cyprian, the President of ZWGM, said that no fewer than 300 people including widows, children and passerby benefited from the medical outreach.

Cyprian said that the  beneficiaries received free medical care from medical practitioners that included: general physicians, pharmacists and nurses who screened people for blood pressure, blood sugar level, diabetes and general body check-up.

She added that free drugs were dispensed to the beneficiaries based on their health conditions, saying that many of the beneficiaries particularly widows joined in the thanksgivings programme as they went home with varieties of gifts items including raw foodstuffs.

According to her, the outreach, which is the first of its kind as organised by the NGO since its inception in 2021, is aimed at improving the well-being of people in the area as some people may not have the financial capability to pay for medical bills at the hospital.

She urged the state government to intensify efforts toward making healthcare services available, affordable and accessible to people in the communities.

“The major objective for the outreach is to bring healthcare services closer to the community at no cost at all, because access to medical care is big challenge in Nigeria.

“A lot of people with one underlying ailment or the other are dying in silence because the can’t afford the exorbitant hospital bills.

“The thanksgivings programme, medical outreach and a three-day free skills acquisition training are all activities organised by ZWGM to mark its one year anniversary since inception in 2021.

“And considering the economic condition of the country, if the government can make healthcare services available, affordable and accessible to masses, it will relieve whole lots of burden on masses,” she said.

The general physician at the event, Mrs Angela Ukachi, urged the residents to take their health serious and always go for medical check-up, particularly to check the Blood Pressure (BP) level.

Ukachi, identified ignorance as major contributing factor to health conditions of most Nigerian adults, as many people with high blood pressure were not even aware that they have the condition.

According to her, high blood pressure is the leading cause of death among adults, saying that regular check on it can help to avert some critical conditions of blood pressure that may lead to death.

She recommended that every family should have the blood pressure testing apparatus, to enable the elders in the family keep a regular check on their BP.

“Every family is supposed to have the BP testing apparatus to enable them maintain a regular check on their BP status.

“This is because high blood pressure as a silent killer is the leading cause of death now.

“And almost 90 per cent of the patients consulted here today were hypertensive, which majority of them are not even aware that they have the condition because they don’t check” Ukachi said.

A Senior Pastor with ZWGM, Rev. (Mr) Cyprian Edeh, identified stress as major factor causing the ailments and diseases being suffered by most Nigerians.

According to him, the economic condition and hardships in the country is taking toll on the residents, saying that the people are stressed out.

He advised that people should constantly check the sugar level, cholesterol level, eat healthy diet, have rest and exercise to avert conditions that might trigger high BP.

He explained that the outreach was one of the ways the organisation makes healthcare services accessible to people in the community, who might not afford the hospital bills.

Edeh expressed commitment of the mission to continually collaborate with partners to ensure that members of the organisation and residents of the area have access to healthcare services at no cost.

An invited Pastor at the programme, Mr Mike Pius, lauded the NGO for the outreach, saying it was one of the best way to serve God and humanity.

According to him, outreach of this kind creates remarkable impacts on the lives of the residents more than preaching gospel to them or giving them gifts, as many people are dying in silence due to inability to pay medical bills.

A beneficiary of the outreach, Mr Taiwo Fashola, appreciated the NGO for organising the outreach, that provided opportunity for many indigent citizens to access healthcare.

Fashola said that free drugs were given to him, having received many other free medical services at no cost.

He was optimistic that the gesture will attract more members and recognition for the organisation going forward.

Another beneficiary, Mrs Chinelo Nwafor, described the outreach as an “eye opener’ that lead to the revealing of her health condition.

Nwafor, said she never knew that she was hypertensive until she consulted with the health expert at the outreach.