Lagos flags off free medical mission, partners NGOs

Lagos State government will on Friday embark on a free medical mission in partnership with Healthcare Mission International for the treatment of children.

The exercise, which holds in seven primary health care centres across the state including; Lagos Island, Surulere, Badagry, Alimosho, Epe, Ikeja and Ikorodu, also includes screening and advocacy for adults.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Titilayo Goncalves, said this on Thursday at a press briefing in Alausa, Ikeja.

According to her, the treatments include dental care, orthopaedic treatment, visual/hearing impairments, surgeries and other common ailments, saying the exercise would hold for days running.

Goncalves said the exercise was part of the state government’s efforts to improve healthcare among residents and complement various programmes put in place to promote healthy living among them, just as she disclosed that it was primarily targeted at children within the age bracket of 0 to 12 years.

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Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Primary Health Board, Dr Tayo Lawal, said about 1,000 people would be attended to on a daily basis, while about 21,000 people should have been attended to at the completion of the exercise.

According to him, the exercise is equally an avenue to create medical awareness among residents, expressing appreciation to the Healthcare Mission International for the gesture.

Executive Director of Healthcare Mission International, Mrs Nike Osa, in her remark, said the effort was necessitated by her belief to assist the less-privileged in area of medical challenges.

She said though children were the prime target of the programme, adults would be given health talks and screened for diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV.

“Those found to be positive will be managed using the established channel of treatment of these illnesses,” she said.

Osa said the exercise was an innovative programme meant to help the children to be healthy and prepare them for their roles as future leaders.