Clergy Harps on Need for Functional Primary Healthcare Centres across Rural Communities

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

The pastor-in-charge of the City of David, the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Gbolade Okenla has called on the federal government to establish functional primary healthcare centres across rural communities to help reduce the time for accessing medicare and save lives.

Okenla, made the call yesterday, during the foundation-laying of a new primary healthcare centre being built by the church for residents of Daki Biu community of Jabi, Abuja, as part of the church’s 10th-anniversary celebration.

Okenla said the provision of such facilities would give healthcare access to citizens with minor ailments and reduce the stress on secondary and tertiary health facilities as only serious ailments could be referred there.

“There are a lot of pregnant women and people with minor diseases that shouldn’t lead to death, but lack of N500, N1000, or even N2000 to move out of the community is causing people to die,” he said.

“We are coming today to have a free medical outreach as part of our Christian social responsibility and to let the people know that even though the government might have neglected them, we have not forgotten them; so, we have come to show compassion, love and to let them know that we know they exist and we care about them.”

Speaking on the medical outreach, the head of the church’s medical team, Dr. Ado Theophilus, said the team of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other support staff from the church decided to carry out the exercise to treat many of the 8000 residents of the community who couldn’t afford such medicare.

He observed the prevalence of malaria, skin diseases, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, seizure disorder and others in the community including two cases of infection that could have resulted in amputation if not for the medical intervention.

On how to sustain the four-bed medical facility, he said the church and the community are working on the modalities to appoint medical personnel who will manage it.

A recipient of the medical treatment, Lydia Ukeme, said she was happy to receive treatment for her ailment and the scans ran on her while calling on the government to do more to enhance public health.

“Thank God when I came here, I met with the doctors and nurses, they were very loving in attending to us. They ran tests on us and gave us the drugs so I am happy. I didn’t pay for the treatment,” she said.

Similarly, a resident of Daki Biu, Nasiru Abubakar said he was examined for high blood pressure and discharged.

He said, “One of my friends told me that they are giving free medicare at the Daki Biu Primary School and I came and received mine.”