Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa
With over 500 persons who has so far received the free treatment as part of the yearly medical outreach organised by the Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe Foundation, the foundation has indeed offered the best Father Christmas gift to the residents of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital .
In collaboration with the family care hospital, the last year December free medical outreach saw residents of Etegwe, Biogbolo and many other communities in Yenagoa metropolis, turn out in large numbers to received the free medical check up and treatment at the multi-million naira Family Care hospital, owned by the Professor of Family Medicine.
The medical outreach which enters its sixth year was part of his genuine effort at giving back to the society and to mark the 5th year anniversary of one of the best hospitals in the state and his 55th birthday anniversary.
Some of the services rendered free of charge at the outreach include General Medical Consultation and treatment, eye screening and provision of free glasses, dental care, tooth extraction scaling and polishing.
Others includes Community HIV and TB screening and Diagnosis, Immunisation and Deworming of under five children, Covid-19, Yellow fever and HPV vaccination, Basic Laboratory tests and free surgery operations and care.
The outreach had many volunteers to include Medical Doctors, Dentists, Pharmacists, Pharmacist technicians, Nurses, a medical Records Professionals, Community Health Workers, Public Health professionals, Medical students, Admin personnel, friends and family members.
Consultant Family Care Hospital, Dr. Tarila Aweipekumo while enumerating the various healthcare services delivered in the outreach and scope of the event, emphasised that the free healthcare service is pertinent to give back to the society .
Giving the story of how the journey started six years ago in 2018, Dr.Aweipekumo, enumerated the numbers of communities across the local areas in the state that has so far benefited from the kind gesture of Prof. Brisibe.
The communities he said include Biseni Tein Community with 250 beneficiaries, Ayama Ijaw Community with 260 Beneficiaries, Okoloba/Sabagriea Community, 311 Beneficiaries.
Others include Bomoundi-Gbene Community with 312 Beneficiaries, Otuoke Community, 303 Beneficiaries and Opolo Epie Community with 455 Beneficiaries, while 300 free Eye glasses given for Correction of Refractive Errors and two free surgeries each year from 2018 till date.
He said Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe, is very passionate about giving free medical care and social support to indigent and most vulnerable people in society, especially, Bayelsa State.
He said the event also marked one of the activities to commemorate the birthday of Professor Seiyefa Brisibe.
Speaking at the event , Professor Brisibe, appreciated family, friends and colleagues for the accolades and support, noting that he is inspired to save lives, because of the motivation from his parents.
He advised beneficiaries to take advantage of the free medical services to know their health status by checking to know if the situation needs prompt diagnosis and treatment to reduce mortality rate in Bayelsa and Nigeria at large.
He said, “One of the reason for this outreach is to render service to those that need it. I’m happy presently about the turnout.
“Usually, when you start this program in the rural areas, people start coming from far and wide and fortunately for us we’ve been able to get about four buses conveying people from Opolo community and Biogbolo to this place.
“We are here to save lives and believe that we have been in community and it is time for us to give back to the community , that is why we are doing what we are doing. I want to thank everybody that have found time to volunteer, most especially the volunteers, because these volunteers are not paid a dime but year-in, year-out they find time to give back to society and for me one of the philosophy or one of the core thing about this program is to encourage people to imbibe the attitude of volunteering.
“I could remember as a child while we were growing up in our communities, the road between my community and my secondary school was being cleared from time to time, the track roads by those volunteering during the weekends.
“Young people will just come together, mobilise ourselves, carry what we call ‘otigba’ in those days; I don’t know if that’s still the name they call it and clear the road. That is how we as a people, that is what define us as a people.”
He also said one of the aim of the outreach was to encourage people to imbibe the culture of accessing medical care early when they have challenges as timely medical attention will help before their ailments gets complicated.
Also speaking, wife of Prof” Brisibe, Dr. Beimonyo Brisibe and Manager FamilyCare Hospital, Beauty Eyo, described the Professor as a philanthropist who derived pleasure in impacting lives through his medical outreach within and outside Bayelsa State.
The Paramount Ruler of Opolo Community, Chief Gabriel Ekezie and his counterpart from Biogbolo Community, Chief Frank Amos thanks Professor Brisibe and his team for his gesture to bring succour to host communities of FamilyCare hospital.
Some beneficiaries, who spoke to our correspondents, include Elder Peggy Dorgu,, Michael Makpa and Youth President of Opolo, Comrade Collins Grey applauded the Outreach Team and Management of the Hospital for touching lives within the host communities.
One of the volunteers, Pharmacist Irene Dawa, described Prof. Brisibe, as father, who encoutade health workers to volunteer their time in giving back to the society.
“I worked with professor Brisibe and I know he’s someone who encourages us to volunteer and I know volunteering in this season of Christmas is a way of giving back. So it’s my own little way of giving back to the community by my service to humanity.
“I feel very good, especially when I’m attending to someone who I know cannot afford the drug. And when we are done, they would say God bless you. That is so fulfilling.
“I would encourage others to also come onboard. Help encourage him by contributing to fund the drugs and other parts of the program here.”
One of the beneficiaries, propus Simeon, said, “Is sometimes more than the sermon you preach on the pulpit. When Christ was in the world, when he gathered people. After giving them the gospel, you understand; he didn’t send them away, He provided food for them.
“Prof, today out of his benevolence and kindness, his foundation is providing healthcare free of charge to even people he does not know. First and foremost, I want to appeal to Bayelsans to take opportunity of this kind of gesture concerning their health and secondly, God in his infinite mercy will be putting a lot of blessings before Prof, his wife, his family and keep them because what they are doing it’s only God that can pay them back not humans, not anybody.”
For the elated youth President of Opolo Community, Collins Gray, wile commending the Profesor for his kind gesture, he said people of Opolo and Yenagoa local government were so much happy for the program.
He said, “For healthcare, it’s not easy for someone to bring out this kind of free health care services in the Local government and you can see the number of crowd that is here to take their treatment and we are so much happy; especially I, myself, the youth president of Opolo I’m so much happy.
“As in fact, for this program this young man is doing. We need the government to support him very massively to see how people should take their healthcare very seriously because he’s helping the masses so much.
So far, over 2,400 has so far benefited from the foundation benevolence across over 15 communities across the state and more are expected to get succor come next outreach.
