From Clement Adeyi, Osogbo
About 4,000 less privileged in Iwo community have been given free medical care in Osun State in an effort to ensure quality health care for them.
A renowned philanthropist and professor of Sociology at the University of Lagos, Lai Olurode, who bankrolls the programme told Daily Sun that it was organised annually during Ramadan for less privileged muslims that need essential health care services.
He added that the initiative was intended to treat common ailments such as malaria, migraine, eye and dental problems as well as diseases such as cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, typhoid fever, liver and kidney problems among others which commonly result in untimely deaths.
He lamented that several health challenges had been responsible for increased mortality rate, especially among the less privileged due to their inability to access quality health care, hence the need to provide the free medical service to save lives.
This year’s edition of the programme which was held at the premises of Wings School in Iwo Town witnessed no fewer than 4,000 adults and children who benefitted.
Those that were diagnosed of ailments were given on-the- spot treatments, while serious cases were referred to the General Hospital, Iwo, and LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, for treatment.
Medical doctors and specialists from LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Osogbo and Ogbomosho who rendered the services also organised health education for the beneficiaries.They cautioned them against self medication and the dangerous implications of patronising quack medical personnel as well as fake and expired drugs.
The health education also bordered on the importance of regular check up, reporting symptoms of ailments to doctors promptly, avoiding purchase of drugs off the counter at pharmacies and patent medicine stores without doctor’s prescription among others.
The leader of the medical team, Dr Seriki Babajide, a family physician, told Daily Sun that since the free medical programme started about 10 years ago, several lives had been saved, while good health had been guaranteed among the people. He also said that the influx of patients in hospitals had reduced significantly as a result of the routine medical check up.
According to Seriki, the common ailments discovered during the check up included pneumonia, worms, cough, malaria among children, while asthma, arthritis, diabetes, hypertension were common among adults.