By Omolara Akintoye
St Vincent De Paul Society, an arm of St Brigids Catholic Church Ijesha, Lagos, in partnership with Mass Medical Mission has offered free medical services and cancer screenings to residents of Ijesha, Surulere, Lagos.
Aside from giving the residents free eye tests, cervical, breast and prostate cancer screenings, the church also ensured that opportunities were given the residents to know their health status. The Parish Priest, Very Rev Father Alphonsus Ania, lamented the inability of Nigerians to observe regular medical checks due to financial constraints
Ania said the gesture was to safeguard people’s health.
His words: “What we are doing is to reach out, create a medical outreach that ensures that our host community, where we minister, benefits from the welfare package of the church. A lot of people take local herbs whenever they are sick but the challenge is knowing the right quantity to be consumed.”
The president of the association, Mrs. Edith Oguamanam, said it was a yearly exercise, but they decided to collaborate with the Mass Medical Mission to accommodate more life-threatening ailments and persons this time.
Oguamanam said: “I have realised over time that many people do not care about their health status; they just want to work.
“Even when they are ill, they diagnose the ailment and treat themselves without even going to the hospital.”
Also, the chairperson of the planning committee, Cyril Odume, said that the major challenge facing communities include inability to access healthcare delivery.
Odume said: “One reason we engage in what we are doing is we have found out in communities that there is a great challenge in accessing healthcare.
“More so, even if the facilities are available, people cannot pay for the services or treatment; healthcare is vital.”
A beneficiary, Akwuobi Lawrence, said: “I thank the church for the good gesture extended to the community. This is what it takes to preach the gospel meeting the need of our environment.”
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