Medical Miracles: Diaspora Doctors, AIID, Deliver Free Health Care To Thousands of Ijebu Igbo People
... Senator Kaka, Oba Orimolusi commend their initiatives.
By Charles Segun Adegbite
Saturday, 16 November, 2024
Diaspora medical experts with hearts of love from the North America converged on Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State, recently and gave thousands of indigenes and residents suffering from diabetes, hypertension, cataracts and some other life threatening health issues, a week long medical miracles.
The seasoned medical professionals came to Nigeria specifically from the United States of America and Canada, to carry out the free medical outreach program, sponsored by the Association of Ijebu Igbo Descendants, AIID, of North America, of which they are members.
By collaborating with other skilled medical practitioners domiciled in Ogun State, from the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, OOUTH, they joined forces to provide free medical services to the underprivileged, and thereby wiped away tears from the faces of these poor people who have no money to go for medical check-up and could neither pay for surgery nor drugs.
The programme, organized by the Association of Ijebu Igbo Descendants, AIID, of North America, was declared open at the Ijebu Igbo Town Hall, between 9am and 11am, with a former Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and erstwhile deputy governor of Ogun State, Senator Sefiu Adegbenga Kaka in attendance as a special guest.
The program which began on Monday, October 28 and continued till Friday November 1, also had in attendance sectional Obas in the town and some other prominent people of Ijebu Igbo extractions.
With stethoscopes around their necks and compassion in their hearts, the general and specialist doctors, surgeons, medical laboratory technicians, ophthalmologists and other medical practitioners carried out surgery, medical check-up, drugs prescriptions and administration and dispensing of free drugs to those who needed them.
Senator Kaka commended the President of the AIID of North America, Dr Thomas Olaide Osinowo, his team and all members of the association, for this program.
While commenting on the AIID of the North America's project, he said: "I'm highly impressed about the program.
"I have been monitoring the events, not only that of the first day on Monday, but that of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the three places where they were carried out, even to the end.
"I appreciate the sacrifice they made by raising the money among themselves and travelling down; all the way from North America. They paid for their flight tickets, accomodations and all the logistics," the senator added.
He then prayed that God would recompense them, for the free services they came to render to their people.
Reason For This Project
Speaking on the reason for organizing the program, the President, Dr Osinowo, disclosed that their concern was about the effects of the economic hardship in Nigeria on many low income earners and the prevailing stagflation in the country.
This was one of the major reasons the Association of Ijebu Igbo Descendants, AIID, in North America, which comprises members from the United States of America and Canada, decided to carry out the medical outreach in their home town in Ogun State.
Dr Osinowo, who spoke to Successful People Magazine on their medical mission to Ijebu Igbo, explained that they realised that health is wealth. And for anyone to survive the ongoing economic crisis in Nigeria, the person must have good health.
The Mission
It is in view of this basic truth that they decided to come home on health mission, to provide such free medical care like: Free medical check-up, free surgery, free eye test, free drugs, free eye glasses and free sugar level screening, e.t.c.
According to him, "only those who are healthy work well, earn income and pay taxes to government. It's in view of this fact that we decided to rescue our people who cannot afford the cost of undergoing medical check-up or pay for surgery and drugs."
"We decided to carry out free minor surgeries such as: Hernia, cataract surgery; and treatment of diabetes, hypertension, provision of free drugs and donation of some eye glasses.
"This is the first time we are carrying out this free medical outreach. We have been contemplating doing this for almost two years now, before we eventually took bold moves this year" he explained.
The Sponsorship
The medical outreach is sponsored wholly by the AIID of North America. Going by the words of Dr Osinowo, "We also raised some funds from friends and family members. We as well collaborated with the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, OOUTH, Ijebu Igbo Annex, and the Rotary Club of Ijebu Igbo metro.
"We also partnered with the Nigeria Association of Nurses and Anaesthesists," he explained further.
Dr Osinowo who has been practicing as a medical doctor for 37years in Europe and America till date, disclosed that the outreach is a week long program. It started on Monday 28th October and would this Friday, November 1, 2024.
The program was carried out simultaneously in three different places in Ijebu Igbo. The Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, OOUTH, Ijebu Igbo Annex, Obada; the General Hospital, Oke Ope, and Catholic Hospital, Oke Agbo, all in Ijebu Igbo town.
The Royal Involvement
To create awareness for people to come out enmass for the medical outreach, the Association reached out to the monarch of Ijebu Igbo, the Orimolusi, HRM Oba Lawrence Jayeoba Adebajo and other regional obas under him, for support in creating awareness among the people.
According to the President of the AIID of North America, there were a lot of jingles on the program. And the turn out was very impressive.
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The sectional Obas who gave them royal support included:
The Olokine of Ojowo kingdom, Oba Abdulrasheed Abayomi Banjo. The Bejeroku of Oke Agbo - Oba Stephen Adeleke Adekoya. The Abijaparako of Japara - Oba Ogunye Adewale Aderemi . The Alayeluwa Oba Ibitoye Solaja JP, Keegbo of Atikori. Alayeluwa OBA, Dr. Mufutau Adesesan Yusuf. ( FAAC, FPMA,FCIL) ERINKITOLA 1 The Sopenlukale of Oke-Sopen, Ijebu Igbo.
Oba Orimolusi's Experience
When the leadership of the AIID of North America and some of the top medical personnel paid a courtesy visit to the top monarch of Ijebu Igbo in his palace, Oba Adebajo, told journalists that what the organisers of the outreach have done was highly commendable.
He shared an experience about a man he heard of his case sometimes ago, who was sick and needed money for a surgery that could rescue him from untimely death.
The patient begged doctor to no avail, that he didn't want to die and he had no money or property that he could sell that could help him pay for the surgery. The doctor however said he couldn't use his salary to pay for the patient's surgical needs. Eventually, the poor man died.
Oba Orimolusi then commended Dr Osinowo and his AIID of North America team for the great thing they're doing, to rescue a lot of people from untimely death and alleviate or eradicate their health challenges.
He noted that they have set good records of being the first to start this kind of good initiative. He however encouraged them by giving them royal blessings. He then urged other Ijebu Igbo indigene to buy into this kind of vision by supporting the project.
Oba Adebajo also disclosed the efforts being made by his Orimolusi-In-Council to address this kind of challenges, especially for the poor aged people who have no one to take good care of them: And the vulnerable in the society.
The Challenges Faced
The President of the Association, while feeding questions from Successful People Magazine, also spoke on some of the challenges faced, pointed out high cost of fuel to provide electricity at the venue of the event, to prevent the erratic power outage that's prevalent in Nigeria.
Financial provision for security from the police and other security operatives for the safety of these organisers and the venues.
Moreso, hindrances from bringing in drugs and equipments from abroad because of the bottleneck in getting approval from relevant authorities whose some of their officials have the bad mindset that it takes those who have abundant money to squander that would leave abroad to come and do "Father Christmas" to their people at home.
Other logistics like hotel accommodations for those who have left Nigeria for a long time and needed to stay in a conducive and secured place for the whole week program.
The Eye Specialist Account
An eye specialist who led the team of other eye medical personnel at the General Hospital, Oke Ope, Ijebu Igbo, Rotarian Sotunde Abimbola Solu, disclosed to Successful People Magazine on Wednesday, that they attended to a lot of people with cataract, pterygium and other eye cases.
They performed surgeries on those whose cases needed surgical operation. Others were simply given medications and advice on how to manage their eye conditions effectively. Those who needed glasses were asked to come back on Friday for even distribution, to enable them know the number of people to be given.
Rotarian Solu said he was in this project in two capacities. Both as a Rotarian, whose club collaborated with the AIID of North America to help the people, and as an eye specialist.
He noted that among the chronic eye issues that people were complaining about in the hospital since they started on Monday, the case of cataract was the most rampart.
Views Of Other Medical Practitioners
Some medical personnel who spoke about their experiences since the program started disclosed that the turn up was very encouraging.
At the Catholic Hospital, a medical laboratory scientist, Mr Iyiola Odekunle, noted that those who came were many, but through proper organization, they were able to attend to them effectively.
"We're used to attending to large crowd. So we're able to handle everything and attended to their medical needs."
He noted that the more rampant health issue among the people who came to the OOUTH Ijebu Igbo Annex, was high blood pressure, because of the economic situation in the country, which was making people worry a lot about hyperinflation in the country.
Another medical laboratory scientist who spoke there, Miss Oluwatoyin Oshunkoya, expressed concern about many women complaining over their inabilities to sleep at night.
While she couldn't point out a particular health cause of those women's difficulty to sleep at night, she said their excess worries over what the children would eat the following day, take to school, frequent increase in transport fare because of incessant increase in fuel pump prices, among other economic challenges were enough to make those whose income are terribly low, to be unable to sleep at night.
She however encouraged them not to allow the situation to let them lose their sleep because it could complicate their challenges if they develop complicated high blood pressure.
Testimonies of Beneficiaries
Rt. Rev Sam Bamgbose, a priest who also came for medical check-up and complained about problem in his ear, which he said might be due to old age.
"I commend the organisers and pray that God will continue to bless them as they are giving back to the society, out of what they have acquired in life."
He also commended the medical personnel for their professionalism in the way they responded to them (patients) and treated them well.
A 24-year-old eye patient, Mr Abiodun Olatunbosun,who has the case of cataract, said he had been to the Ago Iwoye General Hospital about two months ago but couldn't afford the needed money.
When he heard of this free medical outreach he quickly rushed down to take advantage of the opportunity. He however commended the organisers and prayed that God will continue to bless them.
Mrs Ronke Adebayo, who came to the Catholic Hospital, for medical check-up said, "I never knew that I'm suffering from hypertension until I was diagnosed today and I was told to abstain from eating too much salt.
"I have been given some drugs and asked to abstain from eating some food and to start eating food that are rich in vegetables." She added.
Mr Tajudeen Alase, a diabetic patient who was also diagnosed with high blood pressure, explained that he did not know he was having high blood pressure until today when he was diagnosed and discovered.
According to him," I urinate frequently. It's the need to complain about that frequent urination that brought me here. I'm glad i was given drugs and needed medical advice on how to manage my health in order to live long".
He then expressed his immeasurable gratitude for the free medical treatment he received.
An octogenarian, Mr Badmus Rasaq, who just undergone cataract surgery on his right eye, said he had been to the general hospital last week to register for medical treatment before he heard about the upcoming free eye treatment and surgery.
" I saw some of the organisers when they came here on Monday. I learned that they wanted to be doing this regularly, at least, every year. It's my prayer that God will bless them to continue this good things they're doing." He said.
Royal Visit
On Wednesday, the leadership of the AIID of North America who paid a courtesy visit to the monarch also met the array of other sectional Obas who were in the palace of Oba Orimolusi.
They commended these illustrious sons and daughters of the town for their progressive efforts and initiative.
It was a kind of coincidence that made the whole visit so royal and splendid, thereby depicting the common saying that, "all is well that ends well."
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