Healing Niger Deltans: NDDC’s free medical programme

Of each the improvement programmes, which the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) person undertaken successful the region, the 1 that brings tremendous alleviation and makes contiguous interaction connected the lives of the agrarian radical is the escaped wellness attraction programme. The escaped wellness ngo aimed to heal the sick and springiness anticipation to the medically challenged.

In a ceremonial to re-launch the programme astatine the Ukana Cottage Hospital successful Essien Udim Council of Akwa Ibom State, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, spoke of the commission’s resoluteness to instrumentality healthcare to the door-steps of agrarian dwellers and communities.

The NDDC boss, who was represented by the NDDC Executive Director, Projects, Sir Victor Antai, said the commission, done the escaped aesculapian mission, had provided wellness solutions to implicit 2 cardinal Niger Deltans crossed communities successful the region, emphasising its resoluteness to marque a quality successful the wellness assemblage done the engagement of applicable partners specified arsenic Pro-Health International, Arit Walden Free Healthcare Mission and others.

He said NDDC swung into enactment successful 2004, erstwhile it embarked connected its archetypal escaped aesculapian ngo successful Odi, successful Kolokuma/Opokuma Council of Bayelsa State. Then, Odi was confronted with a dire concern pursuing a peculiar subject cognition and the attendant wellness challenges, which faced the people.

The escaped aesculapian ngo uses unpaid aesculapian unit who acceptable up a tract infirmary successful the premises of a aesculapian facility. The wellness programme usually includes, wide consultations and laboratory tests, surgical interventions successful gynecological cases, obstetrics and ophthalmic, among others.

The programme besides offers wide wellness acquisition and counseling particularly for communicable diseases similar HIV/AIDS. Those with superior ailments that cannot beryllium treated astatine the tract offices are referred to tertiary wellness institutions for much broad care.

At the week-long aesculapian ngo successful Ukana Cottage Hospital, the sick and infirm from respective communities successful the assembly area, and beyond, came retired successful hunt of healing.

The programme brought showers of blessing for Mrs. Happiness Idiok Francis, who was delivered of twins, 2 boys. The fortunate woman, who hails from Abia State, was afloat of praises to God and the NDDC for making it imaginable for her to transportation her children.

Mrs. Francis is lone 1 retired of galore mediocre radical successful the distant communities of the Niger Delta, who person been rescued done the involution of the NDDC’s escaped aesculapian missions.

For 7 days, the Cottage Hospital Ukana was swarming with activities arsenic the sick and their caring relatives thronged the spot for aesculapian attraction from the visiting aesculapian team.

The motley assemblage of the aged and the young were attended to by aesculapian squad enactment unneurotic by the NDDC successful conjunction with Pro-Health International. For Mrs. Ndianaobong Bassey, it was clip to accidental goodbye to disconcerting abdominal pains caused by fibroid. It took a large country from the aesculapian squad to relieve her of the tumour and the accompanying pains, which she had endured for galore years.

As she recuperates, she present hopes to unrecorded a mean beingness escaped from nagging pains. Even successful her anemic authorities successful the infirmary bed, she struggled to find the close adjectives to suffice the benefits of the NDDC’s heath mission. In summary, she said: “NDDC came to our spot with the healing manus of God.”

Mrs. Afaha Ikot Ibok was delivered done caesarian section. It was a large alleviation for the household due to the fact that they did not cognize wherever to crook to for assistance earlier the escaped wellness programme came to their door-steps.

Monday Akpan, who brought his parent for treatment, said helium was delighted that the escaped healthcare programme came to Essien Udim astatine a clip helium was astir giving up anticipation connected however to prevention his sick mother, but could not find wealth to instrumentality her to a backstage session for aesculapian treatment.

“You tin spot the joyousness successful our faces. We are gladsome the NDDC has travel to our rescue,” helium said.
“I convey the NDDC. We admit this life-saving programme. We admit what the doctors are doing, and delight proceed to retrieve america and travel again,” helium said.

The NDDC Director, Education, Health and Social Services, Dr. George Uzonwanne, said the extremity of the committee was to supply aesculapian services to the radical of the Niger Delta portion arsenic portion of its mandate.

He noted that the committee had ever enactment a peculiar absorption connected healthcare delivery, adding that it has extended wellness facilities and services to galore communities crossed the region. According to Uzonwanne, determination is hardly immoderate assemblage successful the portion that has not benefited from the escaped wellness programme. He gave kudos to the non-governmental organisations that person been partnering with the NDDC successful this captious involution successful the wellness sector, noting that the partners provided escaped healthcare services to respective communities connected a regular basis.

He said: “We person successfully treated implicit 1,200 cases, including performing 50 palmy oculus surgeries. Additionally, 280 corrective eyeglasses person been distributed to assistance patients successful speechmaking tiny prints and improving their vision. Each brace of these eyeglasses, provided escaped of complaint by NDDC, is valued astatine N35,000 and above.

“Furthermore, the programme has facilitated the harmless transportation of 7 babies done Caesarean sections, including a acceptable of twins. Patients person besides received assorted medications for conditions specified arsenic malaria, hypertension, diabetes, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), gastrointestinal disorders, dental care, oculus care, surgeries for conditions similar hydrocele and appendicitis, arsenic good arsenic diagnostic services including tests similar packed compartment measurement (PCV) and random humor sugar.”

Uzonwanne affirmed that the Free Medical Outreach was conducted successful collaboration with Pro-Health International Africa, Excellence Community Education Scheme, and Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria.

According to NDDC: “This programme, which provides healthcare services to medically underserved agrarian communities successful the region, is 1 of respective wellness programmes of the Commission, targeted astatine changing the wellness concern and communicative of our radical successful the region. It is successful enactment with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, No. 3, which aspires to execute cosmopolitan wellness sum and guarantee wellness and well-being for all.

“The escaped aesculapian outreach has been 1 of the flagship programmes of the Commission, serving to endear the Commission to the medically needy communities, with documented grounds and abounding testimonies of its beneficial interaction successful enhancing the prime of beingness of the agrarian mediocre successful the region.”

The Chief Executive Officer of Pro-Health International, Dr. Iko Ibanga, said that helium was precise impressed by the monolithic turn-out of the radical to instrumentality vantage of the escaped wellness care.

According to him, hundreds of patients were attended to wrong the archetypal 3 days. “We person performed galore large surgeries for fibroid, ovarian cyst, hernia, arsenic good arsenic caesarean sections. We person besides performed cataract extraction for immoderate patients with impaired vision,” helium said.

Ibanga highlighted the benefits of the NDDC escaped aesculapian programme, noting that it is precise utile for the mediocre and little privileged people. He said that galore radical successful the agrarian areas recovered it hard to entree aesculapian services connected relationship of poverty, citing the lawsuit of 2 women whose transportation were delayed due to the fact that they could not rise the wealth for a caesarian conception successful a backstage clinic.

He said: “The radical kick that aesculapian services successful their communities are precise costly due to the fact that they are seen arsenic coming from oil-producing areas. The backstage clinics present are precise costly for the people. So, without the escaped wellness programme of the NDDC, astir of them are much oregon little helpless.”

For the Consultant Obsterician and gynaecologist, caput of the operating country for Pro-Health International, Dr Nsikak Nyoyoko, the turnout of radical from Ukana and the neighbouring communities was massive. “I americium precise blessed with the acceptable up and the radical person testified that they were good treated by the doctors, nurses and different aesculapian personnel,” helium said.

“With the escaped wellness programme, our radical tin accidental farewell to each the endemic wellness problems that person agelong plagued them. It is expedient to notation present that the wellness partners are expected to manus implicit important quantities of drugs to the infirmary absorption for the attraction of those who had immoderate large operations,” the NDDC brag said.