By Rabiu Sani
Maiduguri – The Nigeria Air Force (NAF) on Thursday said it had performed free surgeries on 201 persons displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency in Borno in the past three weeks.
AVM Saleh Shinkafi, the Chief Medical Director, Air Force Headquarters, told newsmen that the three-week exercise was concluded on Wednesday at the NAF medical centre in Maiduguri.
“We have successfully conducted surgeries in 201 cases; quite a number of them had major surgical problems which our doctors addressed.
“A number of them who have been blind for many years have had surgeries and have regained their sight; all the 201 cases
have fully recovered and are doing very well.’’
He said that the patients are from the Bama, Banki and Dalori Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.
Shinkafi explained that 82 persons benefitted from eye surgeries and 68 others were treated for various eye diseases while 51 persons
benefitted from general surgeries.
The chief medical officer listed the surgeries to include Cataract, Pterygium, Epilation, Laparotomy, Herniorrhaphy, Hydrocelectomy
and Lymphoma excision.
He added that some of the patients suffering from trachoma and allergic conjunctivitis were also treated during the exercise.
Shinkafi said that the exercise was conducted under the NAF medical intervention scheme that is designed to improve the health of IDPs in the North-East region.
According to him, the service had conducted free medical services on more than 300,000 IDPs in the country in the past two years.
Also commenting, Mr Ismail Umar, one of the beneficiaries commended the Nigeria Air Force for the gesture.
“I have had this ailment for the past 20 years and I do not have money to treat it; now it has been treated and I am happy. I commend the Nigeria Air Force for this noble gesture,” Umar said. (NAN)