Our free treatment is targeting over 2000 Port Harcourt residents

L-R: Iheanacho Okoro, Marketing Officer; Clement Wodu: Assistant Branch Manager Market Square, Ochuko iguerume: QHSE Timothy Abati, Marketing manager; Mercy Okoro, CSR Officer; Iko Ibanga, founder of Pro-health international; Emmanuel Onwuemenyi, Retail operations manager; Amadi Justice, Auditor Market Square, and Frank Ogbu, Branch Manager Market Square Choba at the medical outreach in Port Harcourt, recently.

Many residents of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, have benefitted from a week-long free medical outreach organised by a grocery retailer in Nigeria, Sundry Markets Limited (SML), owners of Marketsquare Supermarkets.

Timothy Abati, head Marketing, told BusinessDay at the event that the purpose of the outreach was to support indigent members of the society with medical challenges as part of the company’s “Marketsquare cares initiatives” which is about creating impact with the public, especially the host communities.

“At SML, we want to help ensure inhabitants in rural and underserved communities particularly residing in Port Harcourt have access to high quality and convenient healthcare resources as part of our social responsibility initiative,” Abati said

According to him, the free medical outreach which was planned by SML in collaboration with Pro-Health International (PHI), a non-governmental organisation, is offering among other medical services free consultations; general and specialised surgeries; eye examinations; blood sugar checks; high blood pressure checks; dental examinations; laboratory investigations, health promotion and education.

“We are delighted that the turnout has been in geometric progression each passing day since Monday, 24th July, 2023 when the programme started and we expect that over 2000 persons with various health issues will have been attended to by Friday, 28th July, 2023 when it is scheduled to end.

“SML recognises that healthcare coverage is a problem in the Nigerian society that needs to be managed. As a responsible corporate brand, we consider this medical outreach as our modest contribution in the effort to help fill the current gaps in the healthcare access and delivery in the country,” he further said.

Abati reiterated that it was critical for SML as an organisation to ensure that residents of communities where it operates live healthy lives, adding that his organisation is passionate about helping indigent and less privileged members of the society solve their medical challenges

He explained that Marketsquare is a leading grocery retail chain-“a place where Nigerians can go to get their trusted brands of groceries at affordable prices. The company was conceived from a strong desire to create a modern retail destination for Nigerians to get their daily needs at affordable prices.

“Established in 2015, SML at inception started selling great brands to customers from a single store but now operates out of 26 stores located in major cities and towns across the country with the newest store opened in Kuje Abuja.

“Our quality groceries are sourced locally from high quality hygienic conditions in compliance to the Federal Government “buy locally’’ initiative and the obsession of SML promoters for local content and any effort aimed encouraging indigenous manufacturers,” he said.