By Wilson Okereke, Afikpo
•Patient receiving traetment at the health centre
In Ezza-Ofu, Inyimagu community, Izzi local Government Area of Ebonyi State, hernia, glaucoma, ulcer, diabetes, arthritis and high blood pressure are very common.
The aliments are being suffered by both the young, middle and aged persons in the community without seeking medical treatment. Many of them have died as a result of lack of medical treatment apparently because of lack of money.
•Patients waiting outside the health centre
One of the patients, Donatus Nwaezoke, would have also been forgotten but for the treatment he received last Saturday through free medical intervention by a non-governmental organization in the state, Abby Care Foundation.
He was among the over 2,000 persons that benefited from the free medical outreach in the community by the foundation in collaboration with Izzi Medical Forum.
Nwaezoke have been suffering peptic ulcer for long and have not gone to hospital for treatment. He has been managing it locally with herbs. The disease got worst since last December. Since that December he has not been going out to carter for himself as usual.
He told Daily Sun in the community after receiving free medical treatment from the Abby Care Foundation that he had lost hope of survival until succour came his way.
“I have been having severe stomach pains for months. I also feel the pains close to my heart and its as if I have wounds in the heart. I came to this health centre where a foundation is doing free medical treatment and got treated. They gave me injection and some other drugs as you can see which has resuscitated me because I have almost died. I couldn’t walk again. But after the injection, I came back to life.
“I thank the organizers of this medical outreach for saving my life. I was not speaking well before but you can see now that I am speaking well, I am getting better. The drugs they gave me is so strong, very good. Without these drugs, I would have been a dead person by now.
“This month makes it complete three months that I have been passing through severe pains. I have not been able to carter for myself because I can’t go out to do anything, I can’t even stand up. But with the treatment I was give which has saved me, I will soon start going to look for what to eat,” he stated.
Fifteen persons suffering from hernia successfully passed through surgeries during the free medical outreach which took place in a health centre in the community.
Executive Director of Abby Care Foundation, Mrs. Ijeoma Nneka Nwankwo, said the outreach was to breach the gap in rural communities by bringing medical treatment and medicine to the people that need it the most.
She disclosed that there are lots of medical issues in the community which also prompted her to offer the free medical treatment to the people.
Nwankwo said there was a 10-year-old child with diabetes whose condition was very critical and the foundation referred the child to a hospital where the child would be given insulin.
“What we are doing is providing different medical diagnosis and treatment in the areas of pediatrics and opthomology. So, we are actually doing eye exams, treating glaucoma and prescribing glasses. We are also doing sugar test and high blood pressure monitoring and medications
“We have different areas of medicine in this free medical outreach. We have gynaecology, pediatrics, general medicine and surgery. We have done hernia surgeries here today. I studied diseases; cases of diseases and I implement control measures in disease findings.
“I have been in this community for the past 10 years. So, I see the need for this free medical outreach. For instance, there are lots of hernia cases. Whenever you come around, you hear hernia! hernia!! hernia!!! So, I feel that it is something that is very necessary to look into.
“Other persons like the pregnant women in this village don’t tend to go to ante-natal most of the time. So, there is need for the free medical outreach.
“In terms of pediatrics, I have seen cases of childhood diabetes. We have a case in this medical outreach that is very critical that we are referring to the general hospital because the patient needs insulin and it’s a child. It’s a child of 10 years. So, there is a lot of medical issues within the community and that’s why we are here,” she stated.
Another beneficiary of the medical outreach, Ovuoba Wilfred, who has eye problem, said: “I have eye problem, I can’t read for more than one hour. If I want to start reading, my eyes will start disturbing me, tears will be dropping from my eyes. I came for this free medical treatment and requested that they should give me eye drop which I will be using for my eyes but they refused. They said they will give me eyeglass. I believe that this eyeglass they gave me will solve my eye problem.
“I want to commend the organizers of this free medical outreach. Many people in this community are sick and have not been going to hospital for treatment but the organizers of this free medical outreach have brought free medical treatment to our door step”.
Dr. Chukwuemeka Ovuoba, the President of Izzi Medical Forum, said he brought 15 medical doctors for the free medical treatment. He identified hernia, high blood pressure, diabetes and malaria as common health issues in the community.
He noted that some of the under-aged girls in the community that got pregnant and went out of school, would be rehabilitated and taken back to school with their children taken care of by the Abby Care Foundation and the Izzi Medical Forum.