By Uzo Ugwunze
Over 500 Uke rural dwellers in Idemili North Local Government, Anambra State have benefited from a free medical outreach sponsored by two illustrious sons of the community who have been investing millions of naira to ensure proper healthcare of their people.
The major sponsors of the free medical outreach which has been running for the last three consecutive year are Professor Chiemelu Emegakor, a Chief Consultant Surgeon, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital and Chief Medical Director Eldorado Specialist Hospital, Awka while the other benefactor is Chief Dr. Emma Nwokedi, a US-based oncologist with sub specialty in radiation oncology.
Speaking during the outreach at the Primary Healthcare Center, Uke, Prof. Emegakor said that the reason for the free medical surgeries, treatment and drug administration was because they were from Uke and for their passion to help people around them.
“We are sponsoring this medical outreach because we are doctors and indigenes of Uke community. We treat people all over the world. So if we come to our hometown Uke for Christmas, we feel we should help attend to medical needs of our people the much we can as our contribution to the development of our society .
“If we must check the cost of the surgeries,services, and drugs we are giving out today it is not lesser than 20million naira. We are going to do four goiter surgeries, 3 Linear surgeries, 3 Laparoscopy surgeries. We are going to give out drugs for free that will cover for up to 3 months depending on the illnesses. We are going to see and treat patients with Malaria, typhoid, ulcers, diabetes hypertension, arthritis and simple bacteria infections,” said Emegakor.
According to Chief Dr. Nwokedi, most of the minor ailments are not peculiar to Uke people but a challenge to rural dwellers.
“Apart from the health reasons for the minor surgeries, every other ailment, hypertension, blood pressure, malaria, arthritis and their likes are common health denominators found among rural dwellers and even in the urban cities especially in the present dispensation and because of that, we feel committed to giving our people to needed reprieve through counseling”, Dr. Nwokedi explained.
Dr. Nwokedi further promised that the program is almost becoming an annual event, saying that next year’s package shall superceded this year judging from grey areas identified during this year’s activity.
The Matron PHC, Uke, Mrs Jenifer Ezenwuba sang the praises of the two benefactors saying that for the last three years she has been in charge of the PHC hundreds of people from the community who have benefited from the medical outreach never came back complaining of any complications.”The doctors in this outreach are very meticulous and they value human life”.
One of the organizers of the outreach and former Uke Development Union Lagos branch Chairman, Hon. Anayo Emmanuel eulogized the sponsors saying that Uke community is proud of them. He prayed God to continue to protect and keep the duo in good health because of their generousity and kindness worthy of emulation by other illustrious sons and daughters of Uke community.
Earlier in the event, Dr Mrs Ijeoma Okedo-Alex gave a heath talk to all those who came for treatment teaching on the benefits of sleeping inside insecticidal mosquito nets, sports, drinking clean water, sleep, fruits and vegetables, environmental sanitation, personal hygiene, and regular check of blood pressure and sugar level.