Edo flags off free medical services for over 4000 residents

The wife of Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, Mrs Betsy Obaseki, on Sunday, flagged off a free medical outreach for over 4, 000 Edo residents.

The medical outreach which will include surgeries and surgical interventions for kidney, heart, eyes and teeth, and other ailments, is being organized in partnership with the Association of Nigeria Physicians in the Americas, ANPA.

Mrs Obaseki, addressing a press conference at the New Festival Hall, Government House, to flag off the programme, said the free medical care exercise was a way to give back to Edo citizens for their support to the state government, especially during the 2020 re-election bid of Governor Obaseki, when the people stood their grounds to resist those who opposed the second term of the governor.

“The motivation for this medical mission is the support received from the Edo people during the governorship election, supporting the governor against all odds and ensuring he gets a second term in office. No better way to say thank you than by providing free medical care for the people.

“The governor set aside millions of naira monthly to settle and offset medical bills of the indigent people in the state. The governor set up the Mercy Committee for those with serious medical needs. This medical mission will address lots of the issues from the Mercy Committee.”

Mrs Obaseki said the list of indigent patients requiring medical care has all been captured for the free medical mission, noting that some of the services that the people will enjoy include cardiology, nephrology, ophthalmology and dental surgery, among others.

Also speaking at the ceremony, the Edo State Commissioner for Health, Professor Obehi Akoria, said that 4,000 people had been screened for the medical mission, noting that 600 persons required surgical intervention while 300 were ready for surgeries.

She noted that 65 highly qualified specialists were already in the state to team up with 200 volunteers including clinical and none clinical volunteers.

“13 different theatres will host the surgical needs of patients in this medical mission as specialists from various fields in medicine are on the ground to attend to these cases,” she added.

President of ANPA, Dr Christopher Okunseri, commended Mrs Obaseki for the initiative, expressing the readiness of his association to deliver quality healthcare services to the Edo people.

He said, “Our collaboration is to build capacity and also skill transfer. For the first time in our over 27 years of existence, we will be embarking on telemedicine which was brought about as COVID-19 ravaged the world.”

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