Hope For African Children and Boys Champions, a non-governmental organization (NGO), on Sunday offered free medical services to more than 500 women and children in a camp for internally displaced people in the Federal Capital Territory.
Miss Aisha Yahaya, the organizer of the sensitization program revealed to the Nigeria News Agency in the Bama and Gwoza Durumi IDP camps in Abuja, where the program took place, that it aimed to help the less privileged.
She said the organization is passionate about providing free medical services to the less privileged in IDP camps, especially now that health workers are on strike.
She added that the awareness raising, which hired qualified doctors and other staff, would also raise awareness against the abuse of traditional herbs to treat their illnesses.
“Nigerian doctors are on strike, so the reason we have organized this awareness, most of the patients in public hospitals have been sent home.
“Many lives have been lost since doctors went on strike because they cannot afford medical bills in private hospitals.
“We should not just relax and allow the government to do everything, I call on other organizations to help the less privileged in society for the development of the country,” she said.
However, she called on beneficiaries to always take their health problems seriously by always undergoing regular medical examinations and treatment.
Outreach co-organizer Miss Dorothy Alumona said the exercise included tests and treatment for malaria, eye tests, blood pressure checks, vital signs and more.
She said the organization will continue to provide free medical services, especially to people living in rural areas, as long as they can afford it.
“We’re trying to do more preventative medicine here, as the saying goes, ‘prevention is better than cure’, and you can see the medical staff checking his blood pressure, vital signs and the like.
“We know what it takes to pay for medical treatment in some families and I know what people in rural communities face, especially in these difficult times.
“Many people have died because they could not afford their treatment; that is why we have taken it upon ourselves to help rural communities, ”she said.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Hadiza Musa, who could not hide her joy, expressed her gratitude to the organization for this kind gesture.
Mr. Ibrahim Halilu, the IDP camp coordinator thanked the organization for the free medical awareness and called on other health service providers to do the same.
NAN