Ebonyi rural dwellers receive succour as DUFUTH organizes medical outreaches in communities 

Dwellers in some rural communities in Ebonyi state have expressed joy with the ongoing medical outreaches organised by the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital, DUFUTH, Uburu, Ebonyi State.

 

They described the outreaches as life saving, stressing that it would reduce the incidence of deaths due to treatable diseases in their communities.

 

DUFUTH, as part of its medical expansion programme recently acquired four rural primary healthcare centres across the State with the approval of the State government.

 

According to the Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Professor Mrs Uzoma Maryrose Agwu, the healthcare centres have been taken over to serve as DUFUTH’s medical outposts and complementary training centres for medical students.

 

One of the hospital’s medical outreaches was held Tuesday at the Community Comprehensive Healthcare Centre, Ngbo, Ohaukwu local government area of the state, one of the acquired PHCs, in collaboration with TEE MAN TEE Trends Limited and the Joyce John Cancer Foundation.

 

The hospital had held similar outreaches in its other acquired primary healthcare centres in Umuka-Okposi and Ugwulangwu in Ohaozara local government area.

 

Expressing gratitude to the hospital at the event, the traditional ruler of Okposhi-Eshi autonomous community, Eze Godwin Odah Omogo, said the outpost will enhance the Community’s proximity to higher medical facility.

 

He noted that the distance between the community and the Ngbo General Hospital has remained an impediment in accessing secondary health care by the people of the area, regretting that such has often resulted to death, especially in emergency cases.

 

Omogo explained: ” The Ngbo General Hospital is far from us, and in most cases, if anyone is very sick, sending such person to a tertiary facility in Abakaliki takes a lot of time.

 

“Sometimes, before you even reach the general hospital, the person may die.

 

“So, your coming will make our people get easy and quality medication.

 

The royal father enumerated some endemic ailments in the area to include Malaria and Typhoid fever, arthritis, appendicitis and hernia among others.

 

He expressed hope that the presence of the hospital will help address the issues as well as diminish the incidence of maternal and infant mortality in the area.

 

In an interview with journalist at the outreach venue, the CMD, Agwu, said the outreach was motivated by the hospital’s desire to bring quality medical care to the door step of every Ebonyi resident.

 

She explained that they have recorded above their intial projection of 8,000 patients in the outreaches, and expressed satisfaction with turnout of residents in all the outposts so far visited.

 

She said: “We are doing this because we are interested in the health of every Ebonyi resident, and indeed every Nigerian.

 

“We desire to have presence in every part of this country in support of part of the Renewed Hope agenda of the President which is quality healthcare.

 

“We have seen that we have quite a number of our people that are not able to afford health care, and they are dying from diseases that are preventable, diseases that if caught early could have been cured.”

 

She explained that outreach comprises of investigation for diseases like Cancer, hypertension, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases that if discovered early and followed with treatment could be cured.

 

She added: “So, the motivation is to reduce the number of the complicated cases coming to the tertiary health institutions because once they come there, they can’t afford to pay.

 

“It is part of our community service to the people.”

 

While appreciating Governor Francis Nwifuru for his numerous supports and interventions in the health sector of the state, including his approval for the ceding of the healthcare facilities to DUFUTH, the CMD noted that the outreach was also in support of the People’s Charter of Needs agenda of the Governor’s administration.

 

She noted that the hospital has domiciled full complement of medical staff to attain to all levels of health care in the facility but would carry out referrals for critical conditions requiring higher levels of investigation and care.

 

The outreaches feature comprehensive healthcare services including surgeries, non surgical treatments, eye care and deworming of children.

 

Some of the beneficiaries of the free medical services: Obasi Elom from Amofia community and Chisom Elom Idah, from Ekwashi Ngbo, applauded the gesture as a restoration of their hope.

 

Elom who complained of general body pains, headache and cold expressed satisfaction with the services offered by the health personnel at the event, stressing that the services were rendered free of cost.

 

“I feel happy the way I have been attended to in spite of my coming late.

 

“It is God that brought them to us.”

 

The fourth acquired medical outpost by DUFUTH is located in Nwofe in Izzi local government area.