…Over 1,200 patients receive free treatment
Reactions of the ordinary people usually show the relevance level of any government project or intervention. This is believed to form a measurement tool for various programmes and projects of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Now, of all the development programmes that the NDDC has undertaken in the Niger Delta region, the one that seems to bring tremendous relief and makes an immediate impact on the lives of the rural people is the free health care programme. The free health missions have gone around virtually all corners of the Niger Delta, healing the sick and giving hope to the medically challenged.
“Through the free medical outreach, the NDDC is believed to be restoring people’s health in communities across Nigeria’s oil-bearing region.”
So, also, joyous cries from women delivered of twins, those delivered of single babies, those that underwent surgeries for fibroids, and many trail the medical trail around the oil region.
Unfortunately, this very important health intervention programme, which provided healing and succour to Niger Deltans, was suspended in 2019. The intervention of the current NDDC Board and management revived the programme.
It was said to have come as a big relief, therefore, when the free medical outreach was flagged off once again to take the healing mission across the nine states of the Niger Delta region, those who did not seem to understand the criticality of the scheme may have realised it in a ceremony to relaunch the programme at the Ukana Cottage Hospital in the Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, where the NDDC Managing Director, Samuel Ogbuku, spoke of the resolve of the Commission to take healthcare to the doorsteps of rural dwellers and communities.
“The health programme usually includes general consultations, laboratory tests, and surgical interventions in gynaecological, obstetric, and ophthalmic cases, among other things.”
The NDDC boss, who was represented by the NDDC Executive Director, Projects, Victor Antai, said that the Commission, through the free medical mission, had provided health solutions to over two million Niger Deltans across almost all communities in the region, emphasising its determination to make a difference in the health sector through the engagement of relevant partners such as Pro-Health International, Arit Walden Free Healthcare Mission, and others.
Through the free medical outreach, the NDDC is believed to be restoring people’s health in communities across Nigeria’s oil-bearing region.
It’s a common belief in the oil region that oil companies’ activities negatively impact people’s lives. Pollution of water, land, and air is rampant and prevalent. A study of the region by the World Bank warned that “an urgent need exists to implement a mechanism to protect the life and health of the region’s inhabitants and its ecological systems from further deterioration.”
Other studies are said to have shown that health indicators in the Niger Delta were far below the national average.
This may have prompted the NDDC to swing into action in 2004, when it embarked on its first free medical mission in Odi, in the Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. Then, Odi was confronted with a dire situation following a special military operation and the attendant health challenges faced by the people.
A typical free medical mission involves volunteer medical personnel setting up a field hospital in a medical facility. The health programme usually includes general consultations, laboratory tests, and surgical interventions in gynaecological, obstetric, and ophthalmic cases, among other things.
The programme also offers general health education and counselling, especially for communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS. Those with serious ailments that cannot be treated at the field offices are referred to tertiary health institutions for more comprehensive care.
At the week-long medical mission at the Ukana Cottage Hospital, the sick and infirm from several communities in the local government area and beyond trooped out in search of healing.
Testimonies:
The programme brought blessings for a housewife, Happiness Idiok Francis, who was delivered of twins. The lucky woman, who hails from Abia State, praised God and the NDDC for allowing her to carry her children home without breaking banks.
Francis is only one out of many poor people in the remote communities of the Niger Delta who have been rescued through the intervention of the NDDC’s free medical missions. For seven days, the Cottage Hospital Ukana was swarming with activities as the sick and their caring relatives thronged the place for medical attention from the visiting medical team.
The motley crowd of the old and the sick waited patiently as they took turns being attended to by medical personnel. They were met by an equally patient medical team put together by the NDDC in conjunction with Pro-Health International.
To another wife, Ndianaobong Bassey, it was time to say goodbye to disconcerting abdominal pains caused by fibroids. It took major surgery from the medical team to relieve her of the tumour and the accompanying pains that she had endured for many years. As she recuperates, she now hopes to live a normal life free from nagging pains. Even in her weak state in the hospital bed, she struggled to find the right words to express the benefits of the NDDC’s health mission. In summary, she said, “NDDC came to our place with the healing hand of God.”
Afaha Ikot Ibok, who lives with her husband in Ukana, could not agree more. She, too, was delivered through a caesarian section. It was a big relief for the family because they did not know where to turn to for help before the free health programme came to their doorsteps.
A man, Monday Akpan, who brought his mother for treatment, said he was delighted that the free healthcare programme came to Essien Udim at a time he was almost giving up hope on how to save his sick mother but could not find money to take her to a private clinic for medical treatment. “You can see the joy in our faces. We are glad the NDDC has come to our rescue,” he said.
“I thank the NDDC. We appreciate this life-saving programme. We appreciate what the doctors are doing, and please continue to remember us and come again,” he said.
Some of the beneficiaries revealed the reason for the excitement and joy, saying the astronomical rise in the cost of medical treatment has sentenced most rural people to surrender to fate. At a time when treatment of malaria that ravages the masses has risen to almost N50,000 and major surgeries range between N400,000 and N1m, most folks now wait for death to decide their fate.
The NDDC Director of Education, Health, and Social Services, Geordge Uzonwanne, a medical expert, said that the goal of the Commission was to provide medical services to the people of the Niger Delta region as part of its mandate. He noted that the commission had always focused on healthcare delivery, adding that it had extended health facilities and services to many communities across the region.
According to Uzonwanne, hardly is there any community in the region that has not benefited from the free health programme. He commended the non-governmental organisations partnering with the NDDC in this critical intervention in the health sector, noting that the partners regularly provide free healthcare services to several communities.
Read also: NDDC executive spares thought for elderly citizens
Over 1,200 patients so far treated:
He said, “We have successfully treated over 1,200 cases, including performing 50 successful eye surgeries. Additionally, 280 corrective eyeglasses have been distributed to aid patients in reading small prints and improving their vision. Each pair of these eyeglasses, provided free of charge by NDDC, is valued at N35,000 and above.
“Furthermore, the programme has facilitated the safe delivery of seven babies through Caesarean sections (CS), including a set of twins. Patients have also received various medications for conditions such as malaria, hypertension, diabetes, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), gastrointestinal disorders, dental care, eye care, surgeries for conditions like hydrocele and appendicitis, as well as diagnostic services including tests like packed cell volume (PCV) and random blood sugar.”
Uzonwanne affirmed that the Free Medical Outreach was conducted in collaboration with Pro-Health International Africa, the Excellence Community Education Scheme, and the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria.
According to NDDC, “This programme, which provides healthcare services to medically underserved rural communities in the region, is one of several health programmes of the Commission, targeted at changing the health situation and narrative of our people in the region. It aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, No. 3, which aspires to achieve universal health coverage and ensure health and well-being for all.
“The free medical outreach has been one of the key programmes of the Commission, serving to endear the Commission to the medically needy communities, with documented evidence and abounding testimonies of its beneficial impact in enhancing the quality of life of the rural poor in the region.”
Another medical expert who is the Chief Executive Officer of Pro-Health International, Iko Ibanga, said he was very impressed by the massive turnout of people who took advantage of the free health care. He said hundreds of patients were attended to within the first three days. “We have performed many major surgeries for fibroids, ovarian cysts, hernias, as well as caesarean sections. We have also performed cataract extraction for some patients with impaired vision,” he said.
Ibanga highlighted the benefits of the NDDC free medical programme, noting that it was very useful for the poor and less privileged people. He said that many people in rural areas found it difficult to access medical services on account of poverty, citing the case of two women whose deliveries were delayed because they could not raise the money for a caesarian section in a private clinic.
He said, “The people complain that medical services in their communities are very expensive because they are seen as coming from oil-producing areas. The private clinics here are very expensive for the people. So, without the free health programme of the NDDC, most of them are more or less helpless.”
For the consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, head of the operating room for Pro-Health International, Nsikak Nyoyoko, the turnout of people from Ukana and the neighbouring communities was massive. “I am very happy with the setup, and the people have testified that they were well treated by the doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel,” he said.
“With the free health programme, our people can say farewell to all the endemic health problems that have long plagued them. It is expedient to mention that the health partners are expected to hand over substantial quantities of drugs to the hospital management to treat those with some major operations.”
Conclusion:
The happiness and relief written all over the faces of beneficiaries and the joyous outbursts of the people of the oil communities are enough to show that the free medical intervention is a top-rated programme of the NDDC.
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