Group provides medical treatment for Lagos community

No fewer than 400 residents of Eputu Community on Lagos Island have benefited from the free healthcare services organised by the Heritage Advancement Forum (HAF).

According to the forum, the medical outreach, with the theme, “Health is a human right,” is being organised four times a year to support the government in providing free medical services for the aged and children in the state.

The exercise, held at the Community Primary School, Eputu London, Ibeju-Lekki, yesterday, included testing adults and children for HIV, dental, eye, Hepatitis B, blood pressure, malaria, typhoid, tuberculosis, blood sugar level, while wheelchairs were also donated. Drugs were also administered by the medical professionals.

President of the forum, Odion Anegbode, said that the initiative was aimed at assisting the less-privileged community to have access to medical care to meet their health needs.

He also said that the NGO had been providing free medical checks and treatment to various communities across the mainland and Island in Lagos State to help address the existing gap in accessing healthcare services.

He, therefore, urged the elderly to take their health seriously by constantly checking their blood pressure.

In his remarks, a medical doctor at the outreach, Gerald Chinasa, who spoke about his interaction with the beneficiaries of the programme, said the common health issues in the community were malaria, hypertension and diabetes mellitus, especially among adults aged 40 and above.

Gerald, while urging the beneficiaries to also approach medical facilities for follow-up treatment, he noted that the basic medical treatment doesn’t solve all their health issues.

Also, the forum’s General Secretary, Chrisdor Ovuru, who spoke on the theme of the outreach, noted that health is a fundamental human right essential for human dignity and wellbeing.

Meanwhile, Chairman, Community Development Associations (CDA) in Eputu, Ekundayo Olowopejo, said that the initiative was a much-needed solution for the residents as the current healthcare centre is situated far from the community.

He appealed to the state government to take immediate action to tackle the pressing health challenges facing the community.

A beneficiary of the wheelchair donation in the community, Friday Abuh, expressed gratitude to the organiser for providing healthcare support despite the current hardship in the country.