In an effort to contribute to the health and well being of residents of a community in Oshodi Lagos, Nigeria, A Church, Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), The Calvary Area Headquarters, Province 89, Oshodi Lagos, organised a medical outreach as part of activities to mark its 25th anniversary.
The medical outreach was organised in collaboration with Chike Okoli Foundation, Emzor Pharmaceuticals and Pharmatex Industries in Lagos. The outreach included free consultation, blood pressure check, blood sugar screening, eye tests and others.
Mr Jeffrey Aganbi, Pastor in charge of the area, said that no fewer than 600 adults and children benefited from the medical outreach. He said free drugs were dispensed to the beneficiaries based on their health conditions, saying that scores of children were dewormed and they went home with gifts items.
According to him, the outreach which has been on for over 10 years, is aimed at improving the well being of people in the area. The pastor said the water project was solely executed by the church to provide a clean source of water to residents of the community and its.
The Medical Director, MacTayo Hospital, Dr Chijindu David, urged the residents to take their health seriously and always go for medical check ups, particularly to check the Blood Pressure (BP) level.
David who was also a consulting doctor at the event, identified ignorance as the major contributing factor to health conditions of most Nigerian adults, as many people with high blood pressure were not even aware that they had the condition.
According to him, high blood pressure is the leading cause of death among adults. Regular check up can help to avert some critical conditions of blood pressure that may lead to death.
Ms Obiageli Adimachukwu, the Programme Coordinator, Chike Okoli Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, identified stress as a major factor causing the cardiovascular/heart conditions of most Nigerians.
According to her, the economic condition and hardships in the country is taking a toll on the residents, saying that the people are stressed out.
She advised that people should constantly check their sugar level, cholesterol level, eat healthy diet, have rest and exercise to avert conditions that might trigger high BP.
A representative of Emzor, Esther Ayo, said that the outreach was one of the ways the company makes healthcare services accessible to people in the community, who might not afford hospital bills.
Ayo expressed the commitment of the company to continually collaborate with the RCCG, to ensure that members of the church and residents of the area have access to healthcare services at no cost.
An elder in the church, Mr Godwin Ohadugha, lauded the church for the outreach, saying it was one of the numerous humanitarian gestures of the church to the community.
Ohadugha said that the church had organised series of empowerment programmes and seminars for the youths of the community and members of the church.
A beneficiary of the outreach, Mr Bertram Oparaocha, appreciated the church for organising the outreach that provided an opportunity for many indigent citizens to access healthcare. He said that free drugs were given to him, having received many other free medical services at no cost. He was optimistic that the gesture would attract more members and recognition for the church going forward.
Another beneficiary, Mrs Onyinyechi Chijindu, described the outreach as an, an eye opener, that lead to the revealing of her health condition. She said she never knew that she was hypertensive until she consulted with the doctor at the outreach.
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