Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
Various health burdens facing residents of some communities in Uzo Uwani Local Government Area, Enugu State were made lighter recently following the free medical outreach organized by the Senator representing Enugu North in the National Assembly, Chukwuka Utazi.
Mkpologwu community cottage hospital, venue of the four-day programme was a beehive of activities, as more than a thousand residents benefitted from the gesture.
With over 100 medical personnel drawn from an Enugu-based group, Christian Medical and Dental Association sponsored by Senator Utazi, the team ministered to the spiritual and physical health needs of the people.
While the team preached the gospel in the evening, they settled down in the morning till late afternoon to attend to the people’s health needs.
Some were treated for basic ailments like malaria, typhoid, pains and trauma while others had their long standing cases of hernia and other surgery related procedures removed all at no cost.
Obiageli Okoro, who had eye problems, said she got eye drops and free glasses to address the challenge. She prayed for the senator and his family for putting smiles on their faces.
Another beneficiary, Utazi Esther from Abii community had a growing lump removed from under her arm. She said she had suffered from the health challenge for the past four years but had been helpless because of funds until the senator’s intervention.
Speaking during the outreach, Senator Utazi said the programme was part of his promise to the people of Enugu North Senatorial district. He also noted that beyond the issue of bringing government closer, he also discovered since assuming the chairmanship of the Primary Healthcare and Communicable Diseases Committee in the Senate, the dire challenges facing the rural populace in the area of healthcare.
“This is not enough but we have to continue, though this is not the first time we are doing it. In the budget cycle of 2020, I’ve planned to replicate such exercise in two other federal constituencies in Nsukka so that it can go round.
“This one is special because this year, I’m working with specialists and consultants from University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu under the umbrella of Christian Medical Dental Association.
“It has become very urgent that the federal government has to give more attention to two items of priority- health and education. These two go hand in hand and if any nation makes adequate budgetary appropriations in these two areas, the tendency that such country will go far in development is certain. The reverse being the case, that is the real foundation for poverty in that country and that’s why they say Nigeria is world capital of poverty because we have not given proper attention to the two.
“In the 2020 budget proposal meetings we had with the people charged with the responsibility of preparing our budget in partnership with the donor agencies working in Nigeria, we have come to an agreement that health and education should not have any ceiling while budgeting.
“Placing a ceiling on such crucial sectors would endanger the lives of many citizens. The essence of that is the fact that if you allow the rural populace to take care of their health alone, you have sent them on a suicide mission. They are already challenged in many other existential realities like feeding, child bearing, provision of shelter and education, so adding the health burden unto them again would be a death knell.
“Many of them are dying already because ailments that cost even N1000 naira to treat, some of them don’t have the money. That is why we have been talking about the National Health Insurance Scheme too that everywhere, government has to provide such services so that the rural populace could benefit
“In law we have agreed that every council ward must have one primary healthcare centre where they can access facilities and that is what we are working on in order to achieve universal health coverage by 2030.
“We are also hoping that the teaching hospital which the government of Enugu state has promised to give to the people of Enugu North Nsukka senatorial district would be activated.
“As the chairman of the Senate Committee on Primary Healthcare and Communicable Diseases, I’ve already put in motion the process on how to give Nsukka a federal medical centre through the Federal Ministry of Health. Our population is more than Ebonyi who is a state, likewise Bayelsa with only eight local government areas. If the one the state government is planning comes to fruition, that’s good because they cannot be enough.
“The teaching hospital of University of Nigeria was situated at Obukpa in Nsukka but was forcefully taken to Ituku Ozalla when ordinarily the teaching hospital is supposed to be in the headquarters of the host university” Utazi said.
Leader of the medical team, Dr Onyebueke Godwin, consultant physician and senior lecturer said the partnership with Senator Utazi was a fruitful one. He said the group comprises Christian doctors, dental practitioners whose aim is to practise like Jesus Christ, the great physician who preached the gospel and also ministered to people’s health needs. He said the package includes laboratory tests, surgeries and eye care with the aim of making impact in the rural communities who finds it difficult to access professionals.
The senator’s wife, Uchenna also helped in distributing free mosquito nets to nursing mothers and in arranging the children who got immunisation vaccines during the outreach.