Ilorin Emirate doctors offer free medical treatment, drugs to over 500 patients

Ilorin Emirate doctors offer free medical treatment, drugs to over 500 patients

By Fatima Mohammed-Lawal

AREWA AGENDA – The Ilorin Emirate Medical Group (IEMG) on Saturday in Ilorin offered free medical treatment and drugs to over 500 patients in Balogun Gambari area of Ilorin.

Speaking on the sidelines of the outreach, Prof. Ayisha Gobir, the President of the Group explained that the outreach is part of the 2022 Annual General Meeting (AGM).

She noted that the free medical consultations and drugs are part of the humanitarian and community engagement policy thrust of the association.

“The outreach is taking place at Balogun Gambari area to honour our traditional institutions. We collaborated with various well meaning organisation; the Joint Balogun Gambari Development Association and individuals and organisation who supported our the programmes.

“The outreach is focused on common illnesses that can cause death including hypertension, diabetes, gastroenteritis and malaria among others,” she said.

Gobir who teaches at the Faculty of Basic Medical Science of the University of Ilorin asserts that many children also benefitted from the outreach as they are treated for some childhood diseases such as coughing and deworming.

Similarly the don, noted that the association AGM includes Career Counselling across some selected schools in Ilorin, so as to guide them of their choice of profession.

She observed that the ongoing ASUU strike actions will not prevent them from doing their community service, adding that even though they are not teaching for now, they engage in research, publishing of papers and community service.

Speaking also, Dr Abdulkadir Ola Ahmed, the Vice -President of the group observed that there are many Nigerians who have various health challenges and could not access health care due to poverty.

He observed that such outreach is a leans of reaching out to the indigent in the society where they are treated free of charge and at their doorstep in their communities.

Ahmed who is also the Kwara Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA)
advocated that the only way to ensure health of Nigerians are catered for is through the Health Insurance, while commending the Federal and State Governments for making it available for the indigent to access.

He explained further that the artisans and small job owners can access Health Insurance in Kwara for a token sum of N6000 annually.

Also Dr Hafsat Ahmed, of the Department of Epidemiology of the University of Ilorin admonished Nigerians against self medication.

She urged Kwara residents and Nigerians at large to always visit hospital before the consumption of drugs.

Ahmed however observed that some patient could not even afford N500 for consultation fee in hospital, while observing that the association felt the free community services such as this will certainly to their aid.

Malam Mohammed Balogun, the President of the of Balogun Gambari Youth Movement,.commended the doctors for the selfless act for needy and commitment to the community development. (NAN)