Over 100 Kaduna Residents Benefit From NMA Free Surgery, Eye Glasses

As Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Kaduna State branch, begin activities marking this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Scientific Conference, more than 100 less privileged have benefited from its free medical outreach programme.

The activities, which was kick-started with a press conference at the Kaduna State Secretariat of the association, would be considering “brain drain and the Nigerian healthcare system; challenges and way forward,” in the conference this weekend.

The Chairman of NMA in Kaduna, Dr. Stephen Akau Kache, at flag-off of the free medical outreach held at Sabon Tasha General Hospital said, the exercise became necessary to help those in medical need but could not afford the bills.

“Today, we are here live at General Hospital, Sabon Tasha in Chikun local government area of Kaduna State to provide free medical and surgical care with a number of patients receiving free eye consultations, medications and glasses. We have done that earlier at a general hospital in the northern senatorial zone and we are doing it here at the central senatorial zone.

“With what we have here, we need to put-in extra hours. The initial target was 100 people, but, there is no how we can leave these people unattended to. So, we are happy that our members made themselves available for this live touching activities – though we have been touching lives everyday.

Earlier, the Chief Medical Director of the facility, Dr. Samuel Gajere, who was represented by a Family Medicine and Physician, Dr. Sandra Okoli, described the intervention as awesome saying, it would go a long way in assisting the medical need of the people who were hitherto, unable to pay for their medical bills. 

One of the beneficiaries, Daniel Obi, thanked NMA for helping him out of his minor surgery. I heard the information that, there would be free surgery here today and I came. I was here before they even start around 10 am. 

“I am just coming out of the theater where I was operated upon. I had visited a hospital before where I was asked to bring N10,000. But, these people did it for me for free. I only gave it a trial but that has become a reality. I am grateful to those who made this possible,” he prayed.

Also sharing his experience, a 47-year-old man, Yakubu Aku Moses said, “I got here by 10: am and in less than an hour, they have attended to me. They checked my eyes and gave me a glass. That has enabled me to be able to read my Bible character which was what brought me here.

“This is a good way of reaching out to the less privileged people. This is what we would have paid good money to get but because many people here don’t even have the money, we sometimes live with the issue even when we know the danger attached to such. So, NMA has done well this year and we look forward to seeing them doing more.

Ojo Shola Sent In This Report