Health is wealth is an age-long phrase that had been the guiding principle behind advocacies on creating access to basic health for all. And over time, it has been said that the responsibility of primary health care cannot be left to the government alone. It is against this background that the , Olugbenga Akintola Foundation (OAF), a non-Governmental Organisation, put in place a free health facility for the people of Iwo recently.
The Iwo medical mission is part of the foundation’s efforts to provide free medical services to the nooks and crannies of Osun State as its contribution to augmenting the efforts of government.
The Iwo medical outreach came after the mission had been held in other communities within the state; the people of Ikire, Ikirun and Ilesa have benefitted from the free medical services
A medical outreach was also earlier held at Ejigbo in the Ogiyan’s palace while the latest one which took place at Iwo was held at the Oluwo’s palace with over 150 people benefitting from the free medical services that took place for two days.
The continuous medical outreach across communities according to the foundation is in line with the vision to ensure better living standard and ensuring healthy life for the people by impacting them in practical ways and with special focus on raising awareness on diabetes and hypertension
Apart from free distribution of drugs to patients, there were medical check-ups for minor ailments and a health talk on practical steps to healthy living.
The chairman of the foundation, Mr Gbenga Akintola while speaking stated that the same programme which has been held in Ila Orangun and Ile Ogbo, provided free diabetics and hypertension screening as well as free drugs for the people, adding that qualified medical personnel were engaged for the free health programme.
He explained further that people in the informal sector will be granted opportunities of soft loan processed through the Olugbenga Akintola Foundation Microfinance Initiative, reiterating that market men and women, traders and artisans amongst others are the targets of the empowerment programme to provide them the opportunity to start or expand their business.
“Our Foundation is not only doing the free health programme, we want to empower our people as well through our soft loan initiatives. Interested traders, artisans market men and women as well as soon to be business owners should pick free application forms at our office at Olugbenga Akintola Foundation Microfinance Initiative at Ota Efun, Osogbo,” Akintola added.
The Iwo medical mission was a success as the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi led his people practically by subjecting himself to medical screening during the exercise.
The medical outreach spanned through general health care services; cervical cancer screening, optical ailment rectification and supply of free glasses as well as drugs, dental service and minor surgeries.
The beneficiaries could not hide their joy at what many of them described as a God-sent effort to avail them of free, but qualitative medical care with standard drugs. They were full of praises and lauded the foundation for deeming it fit to spend its resources on the people at grassroots, particularly the low-income earners, who had lost hope of such standard treatment been extended to them.
The foundation has committed itself to championing the cause of the less-privileged over the years without attracting public attention to itself and the foundation has appealed to the beneficiaries of the medical outreach to make judicious use of the drugs given to them and always see issues pertaining to their health as a priority.
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