500 Villagers given free medicare in Ogun State
From MOSHOOD ADEBAYO, Abeokuta

Friday, July 30, 2010
For the residents of Papalanto, in Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State, the decision of a community-based organisation, The Patriots, to storm the community with free medical services was highly commendable.



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Some of the beneficiaries


http://odili.net/news/source/2010/jul/30/522.html



To them, it was a morale boosting with many residents expressing gratitude to the initiator of the programme.

For a 49-year-old beneficiary, Mrs. Gloria Adigun, it was kind of the organisation who offered free-medical services, thereby bringing smiles to the faces of the rural dwellers.

Aside from offering free-medical services, the group also donated drugs worth over N800,000 to the delight of the rural community.

The Patriots team was led by its president, Dr. Olatunbosun Fadeyi, accompanied by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Project Mnitoring, Tokunbo Odebunmi, and the Head Clinic, Lafarge Cement WAPCO Nigeria, Mrs. Irene Adesina. The Onipapa of Papalanto, Oba Abdul Rasaq Jimoh, expressed happiness for the gestures of the group adding that it had no political coloration.

According to Fadeyi, the organisation had been in existence for the past four years and had also administered free drugs and medical treatments on no fewer than 3,500 people across the state.

Fadeyi, who is also a Senior Registrar, Family Medicine, Sacred Heart Hospital, Lantoro, Abeokuta, was accompanied with no fewer than 69 volunteers which included 10 doctors, 30 nurses, four laboratory scientists, five pharmacists and 20 paramedics.

Patriots is a community based organisation (CBO) that provides social services at the local level adding that it is a non-profit-making organisation whose activities are based primarily on volunteer efforts. CBOs depend heavily on voluntary contributions for labour, material and financial support.

Within the short period of its existence, the group has organised several major programmes ranging from humanitarian services on health related issues to capacity building and youth development programmes.

The objective of the journey was to identify some social and health-related problems facing the rural dwellers and to see how the organization can help to solve some of these problems.

He disclosed that free mobile clinic exercise was staged on September 1, 2007 at Ake Palace Ground, Abeokuta, where about 950 people were diagnosed and drugs were administered free of charge.

While sharing his wealth of experience with people, Fadeyi lamented the state of health, education and health facilities in the country: “The incident of complications resulting from diabetes and hypertension, otherwise called silent killers is on the increase just as the issue of worm infestation and childhood infectious diseases requires critical intervention.”

He expressed worry that Nigeria, unlike other developing countries was yet to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) the target of which he said the United Nations puts at 2015:

“It is pathetic to note that in Nigeria unlike other developing countries, over 75 percent of these goals (particularly in the health-related ones) are yet to be achieved.” He stated and canvassed for concerted efforts on the government and other stakeholders to achieve the goals.

I think it's high we set our own millennium goals, probably 2030 since the situation of things presently aren't encouraging.