May 31, (THEWILL) – Rotary International has urged the incoming government officials to tackle issues of healthcare facilities with topmost urgency, while expressing hope that such step would reduce the rate at which Nigerians seek medical attention overseas.
The Past District Governor of Rotary International, Mr Lawrence Okwor, said this recently at the joint medical free mission, held in Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Parklane.
The free medical mission include general surgery, gynecology, ophthalmology, paediatric surgeries, dental surgeries, orthopedic surgeries and plastic surgeries.
Although, there were no adequate facilities, Okwor said, “We have general surgery, we have orthopaedic surgeon, but orthopaedic theatre has not been equipped, but we are trying to see if we can partner with the national orthopaedic centre here to do some cases, but it has not been easy.
“Other cases have been fairly good. I thank the management of the hospital, they are trying to know if something could be done. The Indians are ready to work from morning till night, but it doesn’t work that way and our people are not ready”, he added.
Okwor, who is also Host Primary Contact for the medical mission, said, “When you are traveling out of Nigeria seeking for medical help or attention, the doctors you are going to meet there are still Nigeria doctors. Those doctors are ready to come and work if the government created enabling environment for them to thrive.”
Explaining further, I don’t think, we are so poor that we can’t equip the hospital facilities to work. There was no dental department and we equipped the department, and there no dental chair, eventually the women of Enugu State living in America gave them one chair and we brought two dental chair from India. We put the fan, ceiling were falling off, we repaired and we repainted the place. We put that air-condition you are seeing. We spent 15 million in putting up that dental department.
According to him, the free medical outreach which commenced on May 15 through May 23, and focused to provide universal health coverage to indigents aimed at providing “We are here for the poor or the poorest”, he emphasised.
We are collaborating with the Indians which have arranged the medical experts to come and edged our people the poor and less endowed in our society who ordinary cannot afford specialised treatments even here in Nigeria or in India. So, the Indians have come to spend some two weeks to offer freely and highly specialised medical services to our people here in Nigeria.
In addition to that, he said, “This jointly district free medical mission will not reduce the Nigerians troop to Indian seeking for medical attention because the people who are coming here are those who can’t ordinary go to India. It is unfortunate, our health centre has degenerated and we can do better as a nation.”
On how the mission began, “Disease prevention and treatment is one of the areas of rotary International. We know that in our midst there are so many poor people who cannot go to hospital they are our targets. Anybody who has the money to go hospital and they go to hospital, they don’t wait for medical mission.
“Secondly, there are so many cases that the Nigerian doctors unfortunately cannot treat, those cases are refer to India and the United states and others developed world. And so many Nigerians can’t afford even the air fare not to talk of paying for the medical treatment there. These are the same people you are going to spend so much money. So we brought them here to treat those poor people.”
However, he noted that May 15 to May 23 free medical mission was not the first mission they are having in Nigeria, “this is the second time the team is coming to Nigeria, they were in Awka three years back.
“They are available if the government is willing to corporate on the area of provision of hospital facilities, because they need to provide hospital where they are going to have the mission without asking them to pay money.
“The government is partnering with us and that’s why we are able to make it because within this period we are here the hospital has been able to lose revenues. And at end of the day, they are going to pay salaries and I am sure the governor would be able to support them for payment of salaries.”
The former governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, is very supportive. He approved that and we got his approval in writing before we were able to come and that is why we have been able to come. They told us that the governor had to approve it. He has been assisting us with logistics and other necessary things.
Janefrances Ebere Chibuzor is a Tourism Writer at THEWILL
