Lagos holds health mission initiative, targets senior citizens, widows

In its continued efforts to prevent blindness and visual dysfunction, the Lagos State Government, under the Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu and Kadiri Obafemi Hamzah Health Mission Initiative, BOSKOH HMI, has re-launched the Jigi Bola health mission programme across the 20 local government areas and 37 LCDAs of the state.

The Jigi-Bola health mission was the brainchild of the former Lagos state governor, Bola Tinubu targeted at providing free medical check-ups and drugs to senior citizens, widows and the less privileged in the community.

Speaking on the intervention at the Itire-Ikate council secretariat, the first lady of Lagos state, Dr (Mrs) Claudia Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu said it’s a broadminded approach towards sustaining one of the most successful initiatives of the Lagos State Government that has had unprecedented impacts across the length and breadth of the state, especially the grassroots.

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• Lagos holds health mission initiative, targets senior citizens, widows
• Lagos holds health mission initiative, targets senior citizens, widows

Since it was launched in 2001, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu disclosed, that the Jigi-Bola health mission programme has contributed in no small measure to preventing blindness and rectifying visual dysfunction, which is estimated to be a major health risk to residents.

“At the end of the Jigi-Bola’s re-launch in June last year, over 45,000 Lagosians were reached across seven local government areas, while about 10,000 benefitted from free eye treatments and eyeglasses. I want to commend the volunteers and partners who worked tirelessly work with the state government to ensure the success of the initiative. I, therefore, urged the good people of Lagos State, especially those suffering from visual impairments to take advantage of the Jigi-Bola initiative to improve their health. Our society can only attain its potential with well-rounded human resources,” she said.

The executive chairman of Itire-Ikate Local Council Development Area, Hon. (Dr) Ahmed Olanrewaju Apatira in his address said, “Health is wealth but it is only healthy people that make a healthy nation. This underscores the importance of healthy living in every society hence the need to ensure optimal healthcare for all ages. The need to look after our health informed the re-launch of the Jigi-Bola Initiative in conjunction with BOSKOH Healthcare Mission International.

“The BOSKOH health mission initiative identified over 250,000 residents that were in need of visual and hearing aids at the third edition of the Jigi-Bola re-launch and BOSKOH health mission initiative held last year.

“This administration has also taken the bold step by broadening the scope of the health mission to include other health provisions beyond the provision of visual and hearing aids programmes to cater for the need of residents whose health needs do not fall within visual and hearing impairments.”

The council boss, however, appealed to residents of the LCDA to take advantage of the free medical test and comply with all directives given by the medical team for their general wellbeing.

The chief executive officer, BOSKOH Lagos HMI, Mrs Nike Osa, highlighted the impacts of the mission, “The mission has recorded significant milestones since its commencement in 2019.

We have conducted free surgeries and treated illnesses that would have otherwise cost people thousands of naira they couldn’t afford. Apart from the surgeries, we have also provided eyeglasses and eye treatments to Lagosians, with last year dedicated to eye treatments.”