Eze urges Nigerians to seek help when facing challenges

The Chief Executive Officer of Adicare Rehabilitation Home, Mrs Veronica Eze, has advised Nigerians to avoid keeping to themselves when facing challenging times, as it could lead to suicide.

Eze gave the advice during a screening exercise organised by her non-governmental organisation in conjunction with a philanthropist on Tuesday, at Olubu community Alagbado, Lagos. She said that the screening programme was organised to provide free medical services to the vulnerable who could not afford medical bills. Eze said there was need for people to share their worries with others rather than bottle them up, to avoid depression or even suicide.

She also called for massive medical awareness campaign at the rural areas, because lack of finance and ignorance had made a lot of people with health challenges to end their lives prematurely. According to her, people, especially in such areas, need educative campaign on how to manage urgent health situations. She cited the case of a child who had a very high temperature, but whose mother did not do much to bring it down due to ignorance.

Eze said that the child suddenly started having seizures and eventually gave up. She said that due to ignorance, health issues were allowed to become complicated before some people affected contact medical practitioners. The chief executive officer said that some 520 persons had benefitted from the free medical check-up, organised by her NGO, in conjunction with a philanthropist.

Also check; dailytimes.ng/unijos-doctors-to-provide-hotlines-for-suicide-victims/

She said that the medical outreach included free medical check and test for blood sugar, cervical cancer screening, dental services, eye examination and medical counselling. According to her, health talks and free drugs were also provided for the beneficiaries. Contributing, the partner philanthropist who pleaded anonymity, said the free medical outreach was what the community needed, in view of the economic hardship in the country.

She said that many people had developed some treatable illnesses, but did not have the financial power to run common tests, while some who had the money were ignorant of what to do. The philanthropist cited example of a man who had glaucoma but did not take urgent attention, and by the time he deemed it right to consult an ophthalmologist, the two eyes were irredeemable.

Dr Tony Parker, an Opthalmologist at the programme, encouraged Nigerians to take issues of health serious, especially routine medical check-ups. Also the CDA Chairman, Mr Segun Adewusi, appealed to the Federal Government to make it easier for Nigerians to have access to routine medical services.

According to him, many Nigerians suffer hidden medical problems which could have been prevented with little money and counseling; but end up with preterm death because of ignorance, lack of finance and lack of access to medical services. One of the beneficiaries of the programme, Mr Bishop Emmanuel Ikenna, appreciated the gesture, as he had his eye tested and got eye glasses at a reduced amount.

Ikenna said he had been struggling with the eye problem and was told at the hospital to provide as much as N5,000 to get the eye glasses, which he could not afford, but was able to get it at N1,000.