KOGI, North-Central, Nigeria – Traditional Rulers cut accross different communities in kogi State have registered their happiness over the ongoing week-long free medical outreach and surgical mission in the state.
This was made known when five traditional rulers in Olamaboro Local Government Area of the state were diagnosed with different ailments and treated at day three of the exercise.
The week long free exercise is a joint programme organized by the Odumehaje Christian Medical Mission, (OCMM), and Raymond Akor Memorial Foundation, (RAMF) at Agaliga Efabo in kogi state.
The royal fathers also called for a periodic event of this nature to promote socio-economic and political development in the confluence state.
Fielding questions from Journalists during the exercise, a Traditional Ruler of Omelewu District-Imane, Chief Simon Okoko, said the exercise was the first of its kind in the history of the community and appealed for a periodic health programme of that nature to address medical needs of the communities and the state in general.
He described the exercise as a re-birth for the community, and applauded late Raymond Akor for setting up a foundation of such magnitude to help the less privilege.
Chief Okoko, who is also a retired teacher and education supervisor called for the establisment of a well equipped
General Hospital at Imane with qualified medical and health workers.
The Royal father said there is need for government to also upgrade the existing Primary Healthcare facility which according to him lacked the needed capacity to cater for the people in the community.
Also, Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of OCMM, Dr Paul A.Odumu, said his years of exprience in community rural services had given him first hand knowledge of the non-existent medical facilities in rural communities across the country.
Dr Odumu who is the Team Lead for the joint medical and surgical mission expressed willingness to have a paradigm shift from holding periodic medical outreaches in the area to establishing a secondary level hospital facility in collaboration with the community and Raymond Akor Memorial Foundation for the benefit of the citizenry.
According to the Consultant Family Physician with 44 Army Hospital Kaduna, the secondary level hospital is expected to be well equipped with medical man-power, under supervision with a community based health insurance scheme to be affordable and accessible for people in the area.
In her remarks, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Chairman, Raymond Akor Memorial Foundation, Mrs. Helen Akor, while addressing beneficiaries before the exercise affirmed that it was pertinent for them to embrace God in all ramifications and eschewed any evil act that is not pleasing to Him in order to attract divine blessings and healing.
A Consultant and Registrar ORL with Jos University Teaching Hospital, (JUTH), Dr Iduh Augustine Andrew, who described the medical field as an avenue for service to humanity, affirmed his commitment to always extend a helping hand to the less privilege.
He disclosed that 46 people have undergone surgeries of different categories ranging from hydroceles hernias, ruptured appendix, scrotum, vaginal as well as congenital complications in children.
He added that the alarming health challenges bedevelling citizens in the area could be attributed to their agrarian nature, as agriculture is the major occupation of the people.
It was gathered that, over four hundred people were attended to within the first three days of the free medical exercise, resulting from the team work and dogged efforts of the various departments cutting across consultation, counselling, surgical, laboratory, dental and pharmaceutical.
