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Raymond Ozoji, Awka
As part of efforts to ensure as well as guarantee access to quality health care services to improve on the health indicators of the people of Anambra-east local government area, the nine communities of the council area have been offered another round of intensive free medical services aimed at identifying ailments and providing medications for the treatment of these ailments.
The official inauguration of the 2019 edition of Hon. Obinna Chris Emeneka free medical outreach for Anambra east and beyond was at the Umueri General Hospital. The beneficiary was Umueri community after which the outreach will get to all the communites in Anambra east namely Igbariam, Umuobanam, Nsugbe, Enuguotu, Eziaguluotu, Ikem, Nando and other neighbouring communities.
The exercise witnessed unprecedented large turn-out of old and young people of Umueri town trooping in to access medical attention from the combined team of medical experts with expertise in diverse areas of orthodox medicine attending to the multitudes of patients that thronged the venue.
Some of the patients spoken to, attested to the efficacy of the free medical mission saying that it was not the first time they accessed such magnanimous gestures and benevolence from the benefactor. They said Hon. Emeneka placed very high premium on the health status of his constituents and he has been involved in free medical missions, ensuring that they had unhindered access to improved healthcare services. Mrs. Margret Ifediora aged 65 who hails from Adabe-Umueri said she came to access treatment for body pains as well as get medications while expressing profound gratitude to the initiator and sole financier of the free medical exercise.
Also Ejike Oforkansi from Adabe-Umueri, aged 64, said he came for the exercise because he wanted diagnosis for general body pains as well as obtain anti-malaria drugs to fight malaria parasites. The patient said it was not the first time the lawmaker organised such free medical missions to alleviate their sufferings in getting quality healthcare services. He further disclosed that apart from the free medical outreach, the lawmaker has equally provided potable drinking water through the sinking of borehole water facilities in the area as well as undertook other humanitarian services single-handedly to improve on the living conditions of his constituents. Roselyn Emeka of Mgbago-Umueri, aged 55, described the free medical outreach as a timely response to their health needs. She was thankful to the lawmaker saying that the lawmaker was using the free medical mission to save lives in the constituency and beyond. The patient who complained about typhoid and rheumatic fever, said the free medical outreach was a panacea to her health problems. More so, Chief Patrick Udefi, 75, of Adabe-Umueri underscored the significance of the free medical exercise.
The septuagenarian who said that he often suffered from bad vision and joint pains due to old age, explained that the exercise was of immense benefit to him as it provided veritable alternative for him to receive medical attention at no cost to live healthier and better. Opeche Odeh of Ikenga-Umueri, aged 72, who revealed that his major health issues were bad vision and diabetes, said the free medical mission would help him find solutions to his problems. Odeh said apart from giving priority attention to their health needs, Hon. Emeneka has facilitated the construction of rural roads as well as attracted more social amenities to the area stressing that many lives had been saved through his philanthropy and benevolence. A Senior Artiste of Nigeria and member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria Mr.Macsmith Ochendo (SAN) whose presence at the venue was a therapy to the patients, described the free medical outreach as a welcome development for Anambra-East state constituency and the state at large. Ochendo said it was a social responsibility and that the lawmaker should be given kudos for taking the health needs of his constituents as topmost priority. The ace movie actor who hails from Ezinifite in Nnewi, noted that Emeneka’s free medical outreach was a clear portrayal of an improved healthcare system in Anambra state.
Be that as it may, the leader of the medical team for the 2019 Round of Free Medical Outreach by Emeneka for the people of Anambra-east state constituency, Pharm. Ezedei Obinna, said the major health issues diagnosed were hypertension, diabetes, ulcer, malaria, body aches and a host of other ailments. He said whatever drugs given in the course of treatment were free of charge even though he pointed out that the equivalent of the treatments in a conventional hospital cost about N30,000 per patient. The leader of the medical team said they gave anti-malaria drugs, albendazole for mass de-worming, paracetamol, dychrophenac, anti-hypertensive drugs and a host of other drugs stressing that the lawmaker’s efforts in carrying out the free medical exercise cannot be quantified in monetary value because life has no duplicate and that any effort made to save and enhance life should be applauded.
The benefactor and member representing Anambra-East state constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly Hon. Emeneka stated that a similar outreach was organised last year but this year, he decided to make the medical outreach programme more elaborate beyond Anambra-east local government area. He said Umueri General Hospital was the inauguration centre for the 2019 edition of his healthcare programme for the rural populace where the Speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Uche Victor Okafor as well as other stakeholders were in attendance to grace the official opening of the medical outreach. He said it was a full package healthcare system aimed at empowering the people of Anambra-east costituency with good health. Emeneka disclosed that apart from the free medical outreach, he has attracted over five borehole water facilities in Umueri, given out scholarships and individual empowerment schemes, to mention just a few. The lawmaker however stated categorically that the free medical mission was purely on humanitarian grounds and that none of the patients paid for the services as they were mostly peasant rural dwellers. He also added that last year, about N3 million was expended to organize the free medical outreach while the 2019 edition gulped about N5 million. He therefore emphasized that the free medical outreach and all other constituency development programmes geared towards providing life-line for his constituents would be sustained for the betterment of his people.
