Dogara, NGO provides free medical outreach

Dogara, NGO provides free medical outreach
By Mohammed Ahmed Kaigama
Outreach
Bauchi, March 21, 2018 (NAN) The Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, in collaboration with Doctors on the Move Africa, an NGO, has pledged to fill the gap in healthcare system in the country.
The Team Leader of the NGO, Dr Joseph Kigbu, told journalists on Wednesday during the third phase of the medical outreach facilitated by Dogara at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital in Bauchi.
“We are in partnership to offer care and fill the gap in the health care system of Nigeria.
“The National Health Insurance Scheme has not been able to capture all Nigerians.
“This kind of assistance becomes inevitable to the yearning of the many sick in our local communities.
“Dogara is passionate about the healthcare of people of Bauchi state and Nigeria,’’ he said.
According to him, this is the third round of Dogara’s free health intervention conducted last year, last month and this month.
“We have also gone to other centres like Federal Medical Centre, Azare, and the comprehensive health centre built and furnished by the Speaker at Bogoro Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
“In this third medical outreach, our projection is to be able to see 10,000 patients at the end the five days programme.
“About 77 patients suffering from different ailments have undergone surgery in Bauchi state under the free medical treatments provided,” he said.
“We operated four goitre patients; each of this surgery, if it were to be done in a private hospital, they will pay between N1 million and N1.5 million, but the surgery was done free of charge.
“So also women who have evidence of cancer in their wombs, six6 were operated and those with fibroid surgery.
“Similar programme was conducted by the speaker last year where over 20,000 patients were screened for various illnesses and 430 cataracts surgery were carried out; also last month over 1,000 patients also benefited from the outreach,” he said.
Kigbu explained that they are working with goitre surgeons (people who specialise in fixing goitre problems) because it is a very delicate operation.
“We have obstetricians and gynaecologists, eurologists and paediatric surgeons working in different units.
“The speaker brings in expert doctors to offer quality healthcare at the urban and rural areas,” said the team leader. (NAN)
MAK/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola