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From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
A medical expert, Patrick Onogwu, in collaboration with the International Society of Diplomats (ISD) and MEG Cancer Foundation, has provided free medical care to hundreds of residents of Otukpa, Ogbadibo Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue.
Onogwu, a Special Emissary of the International Society of Diplomats, said the initiative was part of his own way of giving back to his community during the festive season.
Services provided at the outreach include blood pressure checks, testing for malaria parasite, typhoid, hepatitis, random blood sugar and red blood cell checks, counselling, treatment of different ailments, surgeries and referrals for complicated cases.
Onogwu explained that as an indigene of Ogbadibo LGA, born in Otukpa, with both parents from the area, he found it necessary to give back to the community by providing free medical services to people who could not easily access healthcare on their own.
According to him, the outreach aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on health, particularly the 2030 and 2063 targets, which emphasise preventive healthcare and access to basic medical services.
He pointed out that creating health awareness at the grassroots would help prevent illnesses that could lead to death or long-term disability.
He explained that “Otukpa was deliberately chosen because of a huge deficit in healthcare delivery in the area. Many residents suffer from preventable and treatable illnesses due to poor access to medical services.
“The General Hospital, Ijadoga, is an old facility built during the colonial era and later taken over by the state government, but the hospital has become largely inactive due to industrial actions and poor staffing, leaving many residents without care.
“During the outreach, medical personnel encountered cases of malaria and other minor ailments, as well as patients suffering complications from previous surgical procedures.
“The initial plan was to attend to 200 people, 100 each day, but the turnout far exceeded expectations. On the first day alone, about 340 patients were attended to, while more than 300 people turned up on the second day.”
He said while five cases were identified on the first day, three surgeries had already been carried out while another was ongoing at the time of his briefing.
According to him, while some cases were handled locally with the help of doctors drawn from private hospitals within the community, others requiring specialised care were referred to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) and the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), both in Makurdi.
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Onogwu appealed to the Benue Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, and the Ogbadibo Local Government Council to prioritise healthcare at the grassroots as he described the condition of health facilities in the local government headquarters as “pathetic” and said it reflected years of neglect.
He urged government at both levels to invest more in healthcare infrastructure and personnel to save lives and improve the wellbeing of residents.
The Chairman of Ogbadibo LGA, Mr Sunday Ajuma, described the outreach as remarkable, adding that the intervention was in line with the vision of Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration in transforming the healthcare sector in Benue.
Ajuma, who was represented by the Supervisory Councillor for Health and Human Resources, Mr Eloyi Ogbe, commended Onogwu for organising the outreach without any political motive and encouraged other well-meaning individuals to emulate the gesture.
The Och’Otukpa of Otukpa Kingdom, Chief Sunday Ekele, called on his subjects across Owukpa, Otukpa and Orokam districts who have the means to take a cue from Onogwu.
Chief Ekele said Onogwu has supported the community in different ways in the past and prayed God to bless him abundantly.
He also appreciated the Benue Government for granting approval for the use of the government facility for the outreach, describing the exercise as consistent with the governor’s health sector transformation agenda.
The Outreach Coordinator, Dr Magdaline Dakogol, described the outreach as successful, saying the medical team hoped to extend the outreach initially slated for the 28th and 29th of December to a third day to handle more surgical cases and attend to additional patients.
She said the initiative was purely an act of goodwill, noting that Onogwu funded the outreach personally while the collaborating partners provided moral support and presence.
A public health specialist, Peace Patrick, who volunteered as a counsellor during the outreach, emphasised the importance of disease prevention.
Patrick, who warned that while some diseases can be treated, others cannot, making prevention the safest option, said residents were educated on environmental hygiene, the use of mosquito nets, and safe practices to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
Some of the beneficiaries, Mary Ohentonye from Ipole Otukpa, and Ignatius Ugwu from Nsukka, Enugu State, appreciated him for bringing them relief and prayed God to reward him greatly.
