Over 2,000 people Benefit from Foundation’s Medical Intervention

Folalumi Alaran in Abuja

WITH high cost of medical treatment and avoidable deaths in the country, over 2000 people in Aboh Community and environs in Aboh Kingdom in Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State have benefited from a three-day free and intensive medical intervention flagged off on Friday, by a nonprofit organization, Gregory Oputa International Foundation.

The President and Founder, Gregory Oputa International Foundation, Prince Dr. Gregory Oputa, explained why the Foundation is spending huge sum to add value to the health of his people.

Oputa said: “Nigeria, Africa is my home, and when I look at the impoverishment of our people, this is the third series we have done of this medical outreach because a lot of people just slump and die not knowing exactly what is wrong with them.

“We also have x-ray machines there to detect whatever is wrong either what is negative with their bodies, and above all to see that they are properly treated. So my zeal for this is just passion and nothing more.

“In our country today, and the health subsector that is very functional is the private, which is not affordable by this downtrodden people that don’t have enough resources to go, and as such they are kept in the limbo.

“So with this we are doing we make it comprehensive every year to make sure all kinds of ailments and diseases are being checked and treated; minor surgeries are also performed in the course of this medical outreach. We started doing this since 2022, this is the third series like I said before.

“In 2022, we reached out to over 1000 people, in 2023 it was over 1,400, and in this 2024, hopefully in this three days we should be able to meet up with over 2,000 people. People are sick and not feeling fine, there is no money to go for any medical care,so, it is an opportunity for them.

“We have a well qualified medical team on ground doing the treatment including those who are radiographers that deals with x-ray issues to detect any internal injury, we have three medical doctors, eight nurses and they have the capacity to serve the people. I also want to take this to a higher level where I have to bring doctors from United States of America, USA, to take care of the people.

“We have started in my hometown, Aboh because charity begins at home including other communities in the Aboh environs. I cannot see my people impoverished in their body and keep sending money for their health, I decided to embark on the medical intervention to save a lot of people in terms of the health.”

However, he called on well spirited Nigerians to join hands to intervene in the health challenges of Nigerians, “I wish that a lot of meaningful Nigerians with enough capacity financially to this in their communities, especially, communities that there are no hospitals or medical interest. Once people have the vision and capacity to do this can do more than 100 times of what I have been doing for a while. But the issue is have they been caught up with that mentality?”, he posited.

Meanwhile, according to him, a lot of people in the community have been reached with free and quality education by granting various scholarships to the children and youth, and also establishing Acro Memorial Nursery and Primary School in Aboh Community.

“I have a school named after my late father, Memorial Nursery and Primary School, Aboh, which was established in 2023, and it is free education, and when I say free education, I mean we give the pupils free exercise and textbooks, uniforms, sandals, tuition, and bus, and we are working to have a secondary school towards the end of 2024.

“Prior to this, I have been given scholarships to these children for over five years in various levels before we started the school.

“I have also reach out to all levels of people; children, youth, women, widows, widowers, the elderly, and we have been taking care of them, and it is a thing of joy and privilege for us to do these things for a lifetime”, he said.

He also disclosed that the people in community will soon have access to free meal on daily basis amid high food prices as a way to cushion the impact on the people.

“With the high food prices we are putting things in place and that would be very soon. We are putting in place, where we are going to have a cafeteria, at least, once a day, where people will go and eat free of charge, and they are sure of one square meal a day.

“Also, I have created a lot of job opportunities for the people in the community with some investments I have”, he added.

The Lead of the Medical Outreach, Dr Alaowei Maxwell Nduku, led other medical personnel to sensitize and administer treatment on the people with different kinds of diseases affecting their health.

“Basically, the medical outreach is courtesy of the Founder and President, Gregory Oputa International Foundation, Dr Greg Oputa, and it is to add value to the life and health of the indigent who cannot afford expensive medical treatments.

“We are carrying out different kinds of medical tests to diagnose the health challenges they have,and also to carry out minor surgeries including giving them drugs.

“I want to say that this treatment is absolutely free of charge, and it will continue till three days. This is a great gesture from the President of the Foundation, Dr Greg Oputa to his people, which he has sustained for many years”, Nduku stated.

One of the beneficiaries, Margret Olise, while speaking on the impact of the Foundation’s medical outreach, said the medical intervention came at the right time it is difficult to afford quality health care services due to the harsh and hard economic situation that had made it practically impossible to access health care services.

“I am a beneficiary of the free medical outreach by Prince Dr Gregory Oputa, who has thought it wise by bringing a free and quality medical treatment to the people of Aboh and other communities, and this has really changed the narrative here in Aboh, and I say thank you to him (Oputa)”, Olise said.

Also another beneficiary, High Chief Paul Nnamdi Iseh, said, “It is a good thing that Dr Gregory Oputa has come with another colour, and this time he has come to give us free and quality treatment for all levels of people in Aboh Kingdom, and also I am a beneficiary.”

According to him, the Gregory Oputa Foundation has given the people without help free education, which include free school sandals, books, textbooks, uniforms, including free school bus services to the pupils and parents, therefore commended the effort of the Foundation for adding value to the lives of the people.