By Akeem Abas
Ibadan – No fewer than 300 residents of Igboora community, the headquarters of Ibarapa Central Local Government, have benefited from the free healthcare services organised by Fajim Medicare Foundation.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the one day screening held on Sunday at Iberekodo Community House, Towobowo Market in Igboora, Oyo State, witnessed impressive turnout by the people.
NAN also reports that the foundation was founded by Prof. Fatimah Abdulkareem of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and her husband, Alhaji Jamiu Abdulkareem, a former Commissioner of Agriculture in Oyo State.
Abdulkareem, who is the Head of Morbid Anatomy Department, LUTH, told NAN that the effort was to give back to the society and assist government in delivering quality healthcare services to the people.
“We believe that when we screen, we will be able to detect certain diseases early and when detected, we will be able to prescribe appropriate treatment.
“With these efforts, we will be able to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with most of the common ailments, especially non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes.
“It is our belief that charity begins at home and that is why we decided to come back home to start here and to assist government in providing quality health services to our people,” she said.
She listed some of the services rendered at the outreach programme as weight and height measurement, Body Mass Index (BMI), Blood Pressure, blood sugar test, HIV screening, cancer and distribution of drugs.
The don said that they had been able to detect some cases at the screening and necessary action had been taken on them.
“We have detected some cases during the screening out of which we referred some, treated some and placed some on follow-up.
“We conducted HIV screening for people who consented and I am glad that majority of those screened were negative,” she said.
Abdulkareem also said the foundation would soon be giving out scholarships to students offering medical courses in the university from 200 level upwards, adding that the foundation had received several applications.
She said that the effort was to encourage young ones to take up medical profession, promising to also sponsor extramural classes.
Oba Adedamola Badmus, Olu-Aso of Iberekoland undergoing test during a medical outreach organised by Fajim Medicare Foundation in Igboora, Oyo State.
Oba Adedamola Badmus, the Olu-Aso of Iberekodo land, thanked the couple for bringing such services to the community and commended the people for the turnout.
According to him, many are walking corpses and may not know they have any ailment. This kind of screening and test will help in identifying such.
The monarch challenged other sons and daughters to emulate the couple, urging them to also come around to support in such services to the people.
Chief Sunday Ojelabi, a community leader, said the couple had brought a unique and fantastic services to the people, noting that the medical outreach was first of its kind.
“This gesture from the couple is wonderful, marvelous, impacting, challenging and equally rewarding. It is exploratory and not exhaustive. I think other sons and daughters should emulate it,” he said.
Mrs Kikelomo Tijani, a nurse, commended the turnout, saying the couple had promised to continue the medical outreach in all the clinics in the town.
She commended the couple for bringing such programme at a time when diabetes, HIV and blood pressure were prevalent.
Among the drugs are anti-hypertensive, diabetes, antibiotics and some children drugs.
NAN reports that the event which also featured counseling sessions, was attended by several other dignitaries from the community.