In a bid to address the scourge of mortality and under life-threatening illnesses and diseases in his senatorial district, the Senate leader and senator representing Ekiti Central district, Opeyemi Bamidele, for about 60 days, organised a self-sponsored free medical intervention for his constituents.
The medical mission reached about 20,000 residents within the five local governments in the district. A large crowd of constituents thronged the venue. The senator said that the free medical intervention was strategic in helping his constituents understand their health status, especially to diagnose those with hidden ailments for timely treatment.
One of the beneficiaries rendered a sordid testimony of how she was held down for a decade by visual impairment with no hope for a reprieve. The woman, Mrs Alice Ajayi, told the medical experts her story during the commencement of the second phase of the mission. She said that the treatment and the free prescribed drugs had helped in restoring her vision that was gradually tending to total blindness.
Another beneficiary, Mr Ibikunle Olubobokun, revealed that he had been able to discover an underlying health issue for which he was treated.
With Nigeria’s population estimated at 220 million, it will be an uphill task to depend solely on government to achieve universal health coverage. It requires concerted efforts of the executive, legislature, corporate organisations, non-governmental bodies and private individuals, to ensure quality healthcare for the entire population.
It was on this premise that Senator Bamidele championed the intervention to extricate his constituents from medical crises. The programme began in his Iyin Ekiti country home and was taken to: Efon Alaaye, Aramoko, Ijero, Igbemo, Iworoko, Okemesi, Igede, and Ado Ekiti.
It was prosecuted in partnership with the National Arbitration Panel.
The lawmaker also collaborated with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Ekiti chapter, who provided the experts for the event.
They treated ailments like: hepatitis, hypertension, hernia, visual problem, diabetes, hernia, and free eye glasses for those suffering all manners of visual impairments.
Speaking about the initiative, Senator Bamidele, said the rising cases of untimely deaths among his constituents also spurred him to champion the initiative. The lawmaker added that he was dazed by how people perceived as hale and hearty, often suddenly slumped and died due to poor access to medical care.
“What we are doing is to give succour to those being afflicted by diseases and they don’t have the means to seek medical treatments. Let me advise our governors to invest more in the primary healthcare sector that remains the closest to the poor masses. Going by what some of the beneficiaries said, most of them had been experiencing the sicknesses for years, but today, they have been treated.
“Those with chronic health issues had been referred to better hospitals and Senator Bamidele is ready to foot the bills to give our people the dividends of democracy they deserve,” he said.
The programme attracted wide applause among stakeholders.
In his rating, the chairman of NMA, Ekiti branch, Dr Oreyemi Ifedayo, commended the lawmaker for the initiative. He noted that it would help people who are often burdened by out-of-pocket healthcare expenses to access free medicare.
“We have specialists available to attend to various medical conditions. This initiative is a wonderful gesture, particularly at a time when healthcare costs are high and many people cannot afford to visit hospitals.”
The Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe, the Oluyin of Iyin Ekiti, Oba Adeola Ajakaye and the Alahun of Ahun Ekiti, Oba Jacob Adelowo, said the programme was of great benefit to the lives of their subjects.
Specifically, Oba Adejugbe, commended Senator Bamidele for the programme. He saluted the partnership between Governor Biodun Oyebanji and the senator, saying this has helped in giving the state a facelift in all spheres of the economy, especially in human capital development.
In his reaction, the Oluyin, Oba Ajakaye, hailed the senator for launching the outreach in his hometown, describing this as akin to charity begins at home.
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