No fewer than 2,300 residents of Ogun State will benefit from a free medical outreach that kicked off on Monday at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu and Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Idi Aba, Abeokuta.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, who disclosed this at a press conference in Sagamu, said the medical outreach is a product of collaboration between the state and the federal government, as well as a team of medical experts from Global Health Charity and Training Foundation based in USA and UK.
Coker said, 2000 indigenes of the state would also be enrolled into the Health Insurance Scheme during the medical outreach.
She explained that though, the government of Governor Dapo Abiodun has done a lot to improve on the qualitative health care delivery for the residents of the state, but the deficit of some highly skilled manpower due to 'japa' syndrome underscored the importance of the tripartite collaboration.
Coker said that "Governor Dapo Abiodun has done a lot in the area of investment in healthcare, but we are also conscious of the deficit of manpower and here we are having the collaboration between the FG and the Global Health Charity and Training Foundation based in USA and UK that happened to come with team of different physicians to serve the people of Ogun State .
"Some of the skills and the equipment they have brought are not easily gotten here in the state and they are here to offer services of international standards for our people, we are so grateful.
"Due to the nature of some of the surgeries to be done are required to be done in a tertiary hospital and that is why they have chosen Sagamu where we have the OOUTH and the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta.
"These are highly skilled physicians and surgeons that we don't readily come across in the state because of japa syndrome. The opportunity is however open to all residents of Ogun State and over 2300 will be benefiting.
"The governor is also giving us brand new colonoscopy machine that will continue to serve the people long after the free medical exercise is concluded''.
Coker, while thanking the medical team for their humanitarian gesture also commended the Akarigbo and Paramount ruler of Remo land, Oba Babatunde Ajayi for rallying support for the success of the medical intervention such that the people of Remo land under Remo Growth and Development Foundation are also partnering to provide free medical service for their people.
Speaking earlier, the foundation medical team leader, Dr. Adebayo Akintobi revealed that the free medical exercise stemmed from the desire to give back to the society.
Dr Akintobi said, "we are here to deliver life changing medical interventions both in surgeries and other medical services.
"We are offering 30 orthopedic surgeries that might involve hip replacement for those having issues with hips, we have the thoracic surgeons here too who will be doing some thoracic surgeries.
"We have Dr. Sina Fawole who is handling the surgery component and we have 26 surgical procedures on the list that will be done between Monday and Thursday.
"We are also offering urology services, we shall be handling some prostate cancer issues, the obstetrics issues will also be handled here both at OOUTH and Ijebu Ode where the maternal mortality has been a bit high. Dr Dotun Ilori from the UK will be handling the Obstetrics
"We also have a Rheumatologist, Dr Deji Olajide from Tennessee, USA who will be running the Rheumatology clinic with free services, medication and also administer some joint injections to a couple of patients
"In addition to this, we also have community based events in Remo for free screening for diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, colon and prostrate cancer screening.
"We shall do another one at Akarigbo palace, we are having another session at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu and then round it up at Alake palace, Abeokuta
"The collaboration involved FMC, Abeokuta and that's where we shall be having the thoracic surgeries. We shall equally be offering free colonoscopy for 25 indigenes of the and also enrol 2000 indigenes of the state into the Ogun State Health Insurance Scheme and we shall monitor them for a whole year to know their health outcomes".
The Akarigbo of Remo land, Oba Ajayi in his remarks hailed the collaboration, describing it as one initiative that will help a lot to compliment the desire of the government to expand access to qualitative health care.
He encouraged the residents of the state to embrace the opportunity.
Otunba Seni Adetu, the Chairman of Remo Growth and Development Foundation, also lauded the initiative saying that the group decided to support the medical mission because of the invaluable impact that it will have on the health and well being of the Remo people.
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