Govt Tasked on  Improved Healthcare Delivery in Rural Communities

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

As part of activities to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of Nigeria independence, the National Association of Seadogs (NAS), Pyrates Confraternity took a medical outreach to some rural communities in Asari-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Beneficiaries at the free medical outreach were from Abalama, Ido and Buguma communities in the aforementioned LGA of the state.

Speaking with journalists at the outreach held at a Model Primary Health Centre, Ido, Mr Kennedy Barango, captain of Olympus Marino Deck of NAS, Port Harcourt, said the programme is a yearly intervention of the organisation to lift the health challenges of people in the rural areas.

Barango, who noted that the people are suffering various illnesses without much attention, urged the government at all levels to improve on healthcare delivery in rural communities.

He said: “This outreach is not just a charity but an advocacy. It means knocking at the door of the government at different levels, to draw their attention on the need to rise up to be more conscious to the cries of the people.

“We are not just going to stop at this level of providing charitable materials or palliatives; we also go to the point of advocating, creating awareness to government.

“Our advice should be that government should wake up, maybe for those who appear to have woken up, to increase the attention that they give to all the communities. We hope that our cries to them will get them to help.”

Speaking further, the NAS captain revealed that the organisation spent about N4 million to achieve the outreach, informed that the organisation had held similar intervention at Isu-Etche and Joinkrama, all in Rivers State.

“We decided to come this way somehow because of the relationship we have with the collaborators. This year we are collaborating with a couple of bodies, including the Asari-Toru Local government council, Purple Eyes/Dental Clinic, St Patricks Hospital and Rotary Club Medical Towers.

“It is a continuation of a tradition that has begun. This is why we have come to Ido in Asari-Toru. We made provisions for between 300 and 500 patients. We engaged the local government council to reach out to neighbouring communities like Buguma and Abalama.

“We spent about N4 million on the outreach. But our collaborators also brought materials free of charge that we are not been able to place monetary figure on. But if we have to do that it will be averaging about N5million,” Barango added.

Also speaking, Dr .George Ipalibo, Supervisor on Health, Asari-Toru LGA, commended the organisation for the outreach.

Ipalibo said: “Is a very welcome outreach knowing the challenges of health in the rural areas. Health is an expensive enterprise so to speak; the promotion of health, prevention of health disease, maintenance of good health, the cure of diseases, is all very expensive.”

Dr. Henry Ohaka, a consultant gynaecologist and one of the participating doctors in the outreach, explained that “Is for basic medical check, screening and treatment of minor illnesses. For this outreach we are not carrying out surgery but referring serious cases. We treat cases like, ulcer, malaria, minor infections, dental and optical section.”

He added that as part of the outreach, they did free deworming of the children, gave pregnant women and nursing mothers insecticide treated bed net to prevent malaria.