Lagos lawmaker, provides free healthcare services for 30,000 constituents
A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, representing Alimosho Constituency 1, Hon. Bisi Yusuff has extended healthcare services to 30,000 residents of the constituency and the environs in the 2019 edition of his annual healthcare programme under the Prince of Hope Turns To Reality Foundation.
The 2019 Free Health Mission of the foundation features surgery for hernia, ganglion, lumpectomy, keloid, free eye screening and provision of eye glasses, HIV and STD Screening/Hepatitis B Screening, blood pressure test/malaria screening/pulse count amongst others.
The programme, which started on Thursday 26th September, the birthday of the lawmaker, will run for five days across Alimosho Local Government and the five local council development areas in the local government.
Speaking to journalists at the kick-off of the programme, Bisi Yusuff stated that he decided to embark on the project seven years ago to cater for the downtrodden, who do not have good health and could not afford the cost of treatment in the hospital.
“You should be accustomed to this. It is the 7th edition. I have good health, and people gave me their mandate to use for them. So, I want them to be healthy too.
“It is just for me to extend the mandate to them. I am marking my birthday today 26th September, 2019 and normally I ought to go out to celebrate with friends. But how will I do that, when my people are in agony.
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“We will attend to two types of people. We have people for surgical operation and those for normal check up. About 30,000 people would come for general check up. About 500 others would get free eye glasses. Today alone, we have registered more than 300 people,” he said.
On how he had been financing the annual event, Yusuff said that it depended on attitude which he said determined the altitude.
He revealed that he usually saved money for the project whenever he received his salary and his family members and other people have also been supporting the project financially.
“If you are willing to help you will save money for that. There are some good people who supported me and gave me their token.
“My family members have been very supportive. There is a special account that I created for it. Every month when I collect my salary, I save into the account. No matter the difficulty I am going through, I would not go into it. It is about discipline,” said.
The lawmaker however, revealed that he got inspiration from the feedback and prayers he got from people.
“When you do something and you get a lot of inspiration through prayers, you would be happy. Even when I am going on the streets they would stop me and appreciate me. Once I hear their inspiring words these encourage me to do more.
“The magnitude of people that phone and talk to me is much, there is a particular person here from Calabar in Cross River State, imagine that. We are going global now.
“The programme is for five days. The permanent site for surgery is here, but we will treat people in all the other outreaches in the whole of Alimosho Area.
“There are outreaches in Mosan Okunola, Agbado Oke Odo, Egbe Idimu, Alimosho. Ayobo Ipaja is for today, others will start benefiting from tomorrow,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, the Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Hon. (Mrs.) Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuff, commended the lawmaker for the gesture, and called on other public office holders to emulate him.
The Commissioner stated that healthcare was an important aspect of life and that the programme would go a long way to help the less privileged.
She added that the state government had done a lot in the area of healthcare and that more programmes were currently going on in this regard.
Serki Hausawa in Alimosho, Alhaji Ahmed Haruna, also commended the lawmaker for the gesture, adding that his people had benefitted from the programme over the years.
Also speaking, the Medical Director of Okiki Hospital, Alimosho, Dr. Oladokun Samson Alaba stated that it was about helping humanity.
“All the doctors here don’t collect money. I want to give back to humanity from what I got from them.
“Some of them come to me and I feel I should be able to help them. We met with the lawmaker and we agreed on what to do. So, we are going to do surgery for the people free of charge,” he said.
