Rivers Community Hails Rotary Over Free Medical Outreach
3 min read
Edith CHUKU
Following the poverty in the country, which has made it near impossible for the less privileged to afford good medical services, the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt, held a three days free medical outreach.
The three days free medical outreach was organized by Rotary Club of PH Orbit, PH North, PH Urban, PH Abuloma, Woji Town, PH Seaport, PH Ceapoly, PH Greenbelt, Port Harcourt, PH City Valley, PH Creekview, Opobo Shoreline, Golf Estate and Rotary Rumuogba Golden.
Hundreds of Okuru Community, in Port Harcourt Local Government Area of Rivers State, received free medical check-ups, orientation and medications from the programme.
Rotary free medical outreach which was in commemoration of her 2023 edition of the annual Rotary Family Health Day, also included an immunization exercise to commemorate the World Polio Day.
The programme which ran from Tuesday, 24, to Thursday, 26, October, was held at the Model Primary Health Care Centre, Okuru-Ama.
Astonished by the free medicals, over 400 natives and residents, comprising the elderly, nursing mothers, youths and children, trooped in for medical attention, with over 12 medical practitioners present.
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Speaking in an exclusive interview with TNN, the President, Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Seaport, Victoria Ockiya-Jackson explained that the idea behind the outreach was, “to reach out to the poor, the less needy who may not be able to afford good medical services.
“We feel most of the time, most of them just do off-the-counter medical care, but in this case we are running free medical care services for malaria, Itch PV, cervical cancer, glucose, you know, everything, the high blood pressure, so, just to let them feel that there are people who care about them.”
Ockiya-Jackson described the turnout as overwhelming, amazing and great. According to her, “like now, some even came about this time which is to two, but we had to tell them to come back tomorrow morning because we close three o’clock. We still have large crowd which the doctors are still attending to and the nurses.
“The package is also to give them free drugs, all the drugs have been paid for by Rotary and the Federal Ministry of Health and also Rotary Action Group for the prevention of Aids.”
The president further explained that the free medical outreach and orientation, “Is annually, we will still reach out to the prisoners, we are going to do prison outreach and that will be about December.”
She applauded the Rotary Action Group for HIV prevention, the Federal Ministry of Health, and Rotary District 9141 for their support and commitment to the outreach.
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Overwhelmed by the free medicals, which they described as timely, some of the beneficiaries took turns to express their appreciation to the organisers.
A certain Mr. Joshua Alfred said, “it’s a welcomed development, we like and appreciate it wholeheartedly. Someone like me, I benefitted from it because I came with my son to the clinic, I didn’t even know something like this is happening and they have attended to the boy very well.
“I say a very big thank you to them. Ofcourse, I want it to continue. I did not pay anything, it’s completely free.”
Another beneficiary who introduced herself as Olatunde Latifat noted that, “It’s fine. I am really happy, it’s okay, I like it, it’s fine. I have been tested for my BP, my weight and pulse.
“I really thank them for coming here to do the test for us, I really appreciate, thank you.”
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