From: David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
Over 1,000 people with various health challenges in Nnewi, Anambra State, on Wednesday, received free medical treatment courtesy of Nlogha and Ifeaoma Okeke Foundation.
During the free medical mission, the Foundation provided mobile surgical bus for minor operations as a team of medical doctors made up of medical practitioners from various fields were on ground to attend to the patients of all ages.
Addressing journalists at Mbanagu town hall, Otolo Nnewi, where the event took place, Executive Director of the Foundation, Lady Ifeaoma Okeke, said the one-day medical outreach was part of the foundation’s effort to promote good health especially among widows, widowers and other less privileged in society who might not have ordinarily afforded to pay for hospital bills.
Lady Okeke said the foundation which began operation four years ago was set up in memory of her late husband, Dr Okeke to actualise his vision and passion to provide good health for the less privileged in Nnewi and beyond.
She used the opportunity to thank those contributing funds to ensure the upkeep of the foundation and its activities especially the former Head of Service of the Federation, Lady Ebele Okeke who she said sponsored the medical outreach.
One of the medical personnel, Dr Chris Obidigbo Uchry said there were up to ten medical doctors of diverse specialties in the team in addition to laboratory technicians and nurses.
He advised members of Nnewi community especially the target audience to always avail themselves of the opportunity in an event like that to be medically examined for subsequent treatment “since it is not an opportunity that calls every day.”
It was gathered that the medical outreach cost the foundation millions of Naira to put together even as it was said to be in partnership with a pharmaceutical company. Organizers of the programme said the foundation had visited some towns in Enugu State before coming down to Nnewi as a mark of honor to late Dr Okeke.
A community leader in Nnewi and the Obi Mbanagu, Chief M.N. Ugochukwu commended the foundation for the free medical outreach and appealed to it to make it an annual event so as to reach out for more people.