As part of efforts to make healthcare accessible to Nigerians and improve health conditions, Harley and Rainbow Specialized Laboratories and Diagnostics, a leading specialised laboratory that focuses primarily on high-end investigations such as molecular diagnostics, transplant studies and other laboratory investigations, has announced a three-day free medical outreach to people living in Ikeja and its environs.
The medical outreach will begin today, August 18, till Saturday, August 20, by 9 a.m. at Harley and Rainbow Specialized Laboratories and Diagnostics Central Laboratory at 72, Adeniyi Jones Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos.
The free medical outreach as announced by the chief executive officer of the laboratory and diagnostic centre, Dr. Ademolu Owoyele, will allow people to be tested and diagnosed in various health conditions that include hepatitis B and C screening and eye screening to detect glaucoma and refractive errors in the eyes.
Other screenings that would be done are pelvic scan for fibroid detection, hypertension, diabetes, and participants will get free medicine prescriptions, among others.
Ademolu explained that it is estimated that about 30 per cent of Nigeria’s 250 million population has hypertension, while 10 per cent are diabetic and, if undetected and untreated, it could lead to complications such as kidney failure, heart diseases, strokes and, ultimately, untimely death.
He pointed out that the entire initiative is free and no dime would be paid to access the free healthcare.
“We provide the exercise for people to be diagnosed to know the state of their health. We would provide free medical consultation and free drug prescriptions. Free glasses would be given to those who have critical eye conditions, with free eye medications.
“Ordinarily, these are examinations that they would have paid a lot of money for, if they were to do the tests themselves, but we are giving them all free of charge as part of our corporate social responsibility initiative,” he said.
Ademolu said that the initiative is organised in partnership and support with Enterprise CEO Media, Womark Limited, Olan Medical Centre, Carthem Eye Hospital and 8K Medical Solutions.
He added that Olan Medical Center will provide doctors for free medical consultations with free medications, while Carthem Eye Hospital is providing highly sophisticated equipment for diagnosis of common eye disorders such as glaucoma, refractive eye errors and common visual problems.
“Womark is providing free diagnostic kits for both hepatitis B and C, while 8K Medical Solution is supporting the initiative with automatic blood pressure monitors and glucometer machines for blood sugar measurement in diabetes.”
Outlining the benefits people will gain from the free health care initiative, he said participants will have free access to medical consultation, health assessment, laboratory investigations and radiological investigation.
He said that outreach is billed to host over 1,000 people in the various communities within Ikeja and its environ from all age groups, male and female, adding that the initiative will put many people with chronic medical conditions on a follow-up plan so that they can better care for their health for the long term and their progress.