By: Monday Danladi, Bauchi
Chigari Foundation, a NGO founded and run by Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate has so far offered free medical services to about 20,000 people with different ailments including those with minor and major surgeries in 11 LGAs of Bauchi State.
The outreach is being conducted in collaboration with the State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and other professionals that are giving support to the exercise.
The disclosure was made by the Technical Aide to the Coordinating Minister, Dr Ashiru Adamu Abubakar while speaking to Journalists on Saturday in continuing the outreach for Bauchi LGA held at the PHC, Emir’s Palace, Bauchi.
He explained that the outreach was part of the move by the Minister to give back to the society that has made him what he is at present.
He stressed that, “As we all know that there are a number of challenges within our country and recently, the problem of the economy which has made life more difficult for the people thereby making them become weak.”
According to him, “People are really, trying to balance between putting food on the table and Medicare. And so for that, we are always trying to make sure that we put in policies that will provide respite to people and patients across the border.”
“But as a citizen, as an individual member of the society, he (Ali Pate) feels he wants to further give his own personal support to make sure that people get some relief in this period,” he added.
Ashiru Adamu Abubakar pointed out that, “And so, this Outreach is going to be the 11th Medical Outreach conducted since July 2024 across 10 LGAs. And in the last 10, Free medical attention were given to not less than 15,000.”
He stressed that, “Hundreds of patients are operated, this 11th is supposed to be the same. Also a joint one with both medical and surgical interventions for the physical interactions. We are hoping to have about 100 surgeries both minor and major. And then, at least to about 20, to 30 Catharth extractions.”
According to him,”We expect to provide the reading glasses to these kind of patients, about 50 of them depending on the bandwidth. And then of course, free medication, consultation, Radiological investigations among many other interventions that we hope to do. These are all coming as a gesture from the Coordinating Minister to the people of Bauchi State.”
“And it’s been done in collaboration with the Nigerian Medical Association and the other professional associations, everyone is aligned with the vision of the Coordinating Minister, and they are happy to altruistically provide their time and volunteer to provide free services to the team of populace invention,” he added.
He also disclosed that in the Metropolis Outreaches which are across the 10, LGAs in the past, an average of 1500 per LGA is reached and in the 11th saying that,”In this 11, our hope is to reach between 2500 to 3000 patients, with patient services, whether pediatrics treatment of general elements among other things.”
“And then at least about 100 patients will be operated, both minor and visual surgeries which already, those surgeries are underway. The patients were identified on Thursday. Investigations and stabilizations were done and surgeries are presently going on at the Abubakar Tafawa Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) line at this moment. We also thank Management of that University Hospital. They’ve always been partners in progress and truly exemplifying the vision of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare,” he stressed.
He stressed that,”They’ve provided a portion of the hospital that will cut out for this less privileged people in the society. So for this is, first of all, giving back to the society, right? And making sure that he will provide some relief to people that are balancing between putting food on the table and having access to Medicare.”
He added that,”Our hope is all that other well, meaning Nigerians would see that there are many ways that we can all collaborate to provide relieve to the people. This is the Minister’s effort, as the state government, local government are doing their own and this is a call that everyone should join hands for us to make sure that we provide as much support to the people.
According to him, “This may not end here. There is every tendency that many other locations will be reached. And give all about opportunities for this sort of Outreaches with Nigerians and other professionals, might make our food into a much bigger and scope of intervention that will continue to bring relief to the people of Nigeria.”
On the challenges of the exercise, he said that, “I think, I the challenges of Health Care are known, right? You’d always have limited ones within limited resources. When you now come out saying that we are going to provide this, you are likely to have people and patients with different type of ailments, our hope is for the ailments will be taken on.”
“Now, we do not require to do too much puffed up and recovery and preparation because what we are doing here is not the hospital. The fact that we have all the specialities around, and all others, that does not make us a hospital. So whatever intervention would want to do, today is something that will give us a short time. We do and then patients go home and to recuperate,”he added.
According to him,”So we definitely have a lot of patients that require much longer pre and post-operative care that we cannot take on. We can only take as much as the resources and time can meet us to do.”
“But also, this is really a very important opportunity for us all to drive to make sure that we’ve supported people and then get people and insure it into the health insurance. One of the easiest way to alleviate catastrophic expenditure is through provision of health insurance to the population,” he added.
According to him,”Already over the last one year of this Administration and the Coordinating Minister through hard work, over 2.8 million people were added to the health insurance in Nigeria.”
He stressed that, “And the target is, I mean, we are not there yet on the target of covering all Nigerians, but within one year, we added around 2.8 million. So the journey continues, but all of us need to be on deck to make sure that we strengthen and put our efforts together to come as much people and then so that we can ease this hardship and people can have a little resources left to cater for other things.”
Also speaking, Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Bauchi State, Dr Yusuf Adamu said that, “basically, what we are doing this morning is an extension of what had been done in the previous 10 LGAs to mitigate the health issues of victims of the flood disaster across the state.”
According to him, “In that during that process, we gave medical interventions to the people that had challenges as a result of flood disaster that happened in those areas. So now the flood is over, it has left a lot of consequences even in this community.”
“So, we’re here to see the patients that have various ailements and of course we are extending the services even though that happens. We have three points within Bauchi metropolis and the target is to reach not less than 500 in each of the centers,” he added.
A cross section of beneficiaries of the medical outreach in Bauchi
