The Udoka Okafor Helping Hands Foundation, an NGO, is poised to provide free medical services to cater for the health needs of indigent people in Awka the Anambra state capital.
Dr Ifeanyichukwu Okafor, the Chairman of the foundation said on Sunday that the initiative was in memory of his younger brother who was killed by armed robbers in the year 2000.
Okafor, an expert of Internal Medicine based in Lincolnton, North Carolina, United States of America said he was moved to set up the medical outfit as part of the solution to the challenges of the under privileged in accessing medical care.
He said that the clinic would operate daily with doctors on shift arrangement to provide diagnostic and treatment as well as referral services at no cost to the patients.
Okafor alleged that accessing medical care in the country was expensive while adequate attention was not given to ailment at their early stages until they assume complex dimensions with severe complications.
“The target patients are the underprivileged section of our community in response to the difficulties they pass through to accessing medical care in this part of the world,” he said.
According to Okafor, about 80 per cent of Nigerians suffer from sicknesses related to common ailments including High Blood Pressure, Diabetes and Respiratory problems which were poorly managed at their early stages.
He urged Nigerians to go for regular medical check-up and early treatment which were usually cheap.
“We must take preventive measures and treat simple conditions like High Blood Pressure, Diabetes and Respiratory problems before they get to their end stages or become complicated.
“They are easy and cheap to treat before they become complicated.
“Over 80 per cent of Nigerians suffer HBP, diabetes, respiratory problems and their complications which are Liver failure, Kidney failure, stroke and all that and when it comes to this stage, you will now need those highfalutin equipment to treat them.
“This clinic will have doctors on part time basis, there will also be nurses and other support staff, the service is completely free, we give out medicines here free and the ones we cannot provide we will encourage them to buy,” he said.
Also, Mrs Kate Oby-Okafor, a family member said the free medical clinic was a dream come through for the family and thanked the Doctor for giving back to the society.
Okafor who was the governorship candidate of Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD) in the Nov. 18 election in Anambra said Nigerians could actually serve their people without necessarily being in government.
She urged indigent residents of Awka who are within the area to take advantage of the facility and live a healthier life.
“It is not one of that once-in-a-while medical outreach, it is a permanent clinic where people can go to at all time especially those that cannot pay for private or government medical services,” she said.
One of the early beneficiaries, Mrs Ngozi Ozoemenem described the standard of the services as excellent.
Ozoemenem said that there had not been such initiative where all services were free in Awka and thanked the Okafor family for the gesture.
“This is great, we have not seen its kind in Awka before, I pray God sustains them too as they help the society to live better,” she said. (NAN)
