By Abiodun Azi
Lagos – The Rotary Club of Okota, District 9110, in Lagos on Saturday ended a three-day medical outreach for the treatment of malaria, hypertension, diabetes and cataract for residents of the area.
President of the Club, Aderonke Jones-Adewale, said that the programme was aimed at providing basic and preventive healthcare services, free drugs and surgeries for people in the community.
Jones-Adewale spoke while addressing people of the community shortly before the commencement of the screening.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the medical mission was tagged: “Rotary Family Health Days”
It was organised by the club in collaboration with Dr Emmanuel Ene-Inyang, an Optometrist and Medical Director, Elyons Eye Clinic, Lagos.
Jones-Adewale said that seven people with different ailments ranging from eye problems to high blood pressure, were referred to experts for further treatment.
She said that the aim of the outreach was to create awareness for people to know signs to look out for in order to prevent certain diseases.
“We want the community to benefit in order to know what Rotary is all about and to get new members, especially in the rural areas,” the club president said.
Jones-Adewale said that the club gave out free eye glasses, mosquito nets for pregnant and little babies, sanitary pads for women and condoms for both males and females.
Also, Ene-Inyang, said that he had carried out screening for quite number of people with eye related diseases.
The optometrist said he was able to identify those with cataract, which belong to a class of blindness preventable diseases.
He said it was a blindness condition that could something be treated, adding that people most times went about ignorantly not knowing that it could be prevented.
The expert said that Rotary Club was helping people to identifying their ailments and make them to know that the diseases they were suffering were preventable.
He recommended an annual check for the eyes, and cautioned people about their intakes, saying that they should consume in moderation as their lifestyle might affect the eyes.
“Reduce your carbohydrate/sugar intake, abuse to the eyes, some people put things that can cause harm to the eyes, someone said he has Apollo and put urine in the eyes, that can affect the eyes,” the expert warned.
Commenting, a beneficiary of the medical outreach, Mrs Philomena Okoro, commended the club’s efforts in ensuring that people got free treatment for their health challenges.
“I got a sanitary pad free and was screened and treated for malaria, my baby also got a mosquito net,” Okoro said.
Another beneficiary, Mrs Mary Olaonipekun, expressed joy for the opportunity she had to check her Blood Pressure.
“When the medical team checked my Blood Pressure (BP), it was a little bit high, because I didn’t take my medication before coming,” she said. (NAN)
