Lagos partners NGOs, flags of free medical mission

By Benjamin Omoike, Lagos

The Lagos state government says it will on Friday embark on a free medical mission in partnership with Healthcare Mission International for the treatment of children as well as screening and advocacy for adults.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Titilayo Goncalves, at a news conference on Thursday in Alausa, said the treatments include dental care, orthopaedic treatment, visual/hearing impairments, surgeries and other common ailments.

Goncalves said the six-day exercise would take place in seven primary healthcare centres across the state, including Lagos Island, Surulere, Badagry, Alimosho, Epe, Ikeja and Ikorodu.

According to her, the exercise is part of the state government’s efforts to improve healthcare among residents and complement various programmes put in place to promote healthy living among them.

She said the exercise was primarily targeted at children within the age bracket of 0 to 12 years.

Also, the Permanent Secretary of the state Primary Health Board, Dr. Tayo Lawal, said about 1, 000 people would be attended to on a daily basis, while about 21, 000 people should have been attended to at the completion of the exercise.

Lawal said the project was equally an avenue to create medical awareness among residents, while thanking the Healthcare Mission International for the gesture.

Earlier, the Executive Director of Healthcare Mission International, Mrs. Nike Osa, said the initiative was necessitated by its belief to assist the less-privileged in area of medical challenges.

Osa said though children were the prime target of the programme, adults would be given health talks and screened for diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV, adding that “those found to be positive will be managed using the established channel of treatment of these illnesses.”