In her sustained campaign against avoidable deaths across the country, Seinye O.B. Lulu-Briggs, chairman, O.B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation, has reiterated her calls to Nigerian governments at all levels to address the high cost of healthcare, which is beyond the reach of many.
According to her, reducing the high cost is more crucial now than before as the costs of living and healthcare have skyrocketed, leaving many Nigerians unable to pay for their healthcare anymore.
The Foundation chairman, who spoke at the opening ceremony of the 40th Free Medical Mission of the O.B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation at Comprehensive Health Centre, Deken, Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State on July 31, 2024, warned that the high cost of healthcare payment in the country is impoverishing, as well as has catastrophic impacts on households.
Citing the latest reports on the dire healthcare situation in the country and how it was affecting households, the philanthropist said the Foundation had hoped that it would have stopped its medical interventions at the grassroots by now and moved to other vital issues in the health sector.
“We started hosting free medical missions 19 years ago to complement the efforts of the national and state governments. At that time, we were confident that our health systems would improve and be widely available across Rivers State’s 23 Local Government Areas,” she explained.
“Unfortunately, the need is increasing as we have yet to find an effectively functioning general hospital in each of the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State.”
Lulu-Briggs added that the foundation did not envisage the situation where its pop-up healthcare camps would become such a critical resource for quality healthcare in Rivers communities.
“I say crucial because at the close of every free 5-day medical mission, we attend to an average of 4,000 patients and perform 100 surgeries, but without attending to thousands more, among whom had been recommended for surgery.
“Ideally, we should be able to refer them to public hospitals for the necessary procedures. For example, there is no reference hospital in Gokana, LGA. Indeed, it is regrettable that Nigeria’s healthcare system has deteriorated instead of improving over the years,” Lulu-Briggs lamented.
Continuing, the philanthropist said that she is saddened by the lack of quality infrastructure and the implications for poor Nigerians, while insisting that it is time to do more for Nigerians.
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“When I consider what that means in the lives of our people, I think about all the pregnant women in our 23 local governments who have a breech pregnancy, no hospital close by to attend and passengers on a bus who have a road accident and no access to emergency trauma care close by.
“I imagine a toddler who gets injured in a domestic accident, but there is no hospital nearby to attend to him. Most Riverians have no hope of any hospital at the local government area level. Most critical cases are referred to Port Harcourt, which is hours away. This gives me reason for pause. The state we find ourselves in is regrettable, and I pray to God to grant us the sanctity of peace and wisdom to do what the citizens need,” she noted.
Speaking further, Lulu-Briggs said that the Foundation’s outreaches were built on strategic collaborations with like-minded stakeholders when giving insight into the successes of its outreaches.
She appreciated Kenneth Kpedem, caretaker committee chairman, Gokana Local Government Area, Mene Tombari Gbeanwe, paramount ruler of Deken community, the Rivers State Primary Healthcare Board, and the Foundation’s team of 63 medical and 45 non-medical volunteers for the success of the 40th medical mission, which began on July 29, 2024 and ended on August 2, 2024.
In separate remarks, Kenneth Kpedem, Mene Tombari Gbeanwe and a representative of Kinikanwo Green, executive secretary, Rivers State Primary Healthcare Board, commended the O.B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation for its commitment to improving healthcare access for the underprivileged. The trio also pledged their continuous support for the Foundation.
The Free Medical Mission, which commenced 19 years ago, is the flagship programme of the O.B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation, demonstrating its unwavering commitment to improving healthcare access for the underprivileged.
Counseling/health education, outpatient consultations, general surgeries, pediatric care, dental care, vision care (including glasses and surgery), malaria testing & treatment, HIV/AIDs screening, physiotherapy, and an onsite pharmacy and laboratory were offered during the 40th mission like in previous editions.
The O.B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation organizes free medical outreaches for the underserved and underprivileged in the Niger Delta. Since 2005, the Foundation has treated over 152, 055 men, women and children in rural and peri-urban areas of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross Rivers, and Rivers states.
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