Minister provides medical outreach to 3,000 Bauchi indigents

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Ali Pate, through his Chigari foundation, has flagged off a three-day medical outreach to about 3,000 indigents in Bauchi state.

Speaking during the official flagging off of the outreach, Dr. Ashiru Abubakar, the Technical Assistant to the Coordinating Minister, said about 100 minor and major Paediatric and Gynaecological consultations and surgeries would be conducted during the outreach.

According to him, at least 30 cataract extractions would be conducted, provision of reading glasses to about 50 or more patients depending on the bandwidth, free medication, consultation, radiological investigations, among others would be carried out.

He said that the gesture was a collaboration between the Coordinating Minister, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and other professional associations.

“Everyone is aligned with the vision of the Coordinating Minister and they are happy to provide their time and volunteer to provide free services to the teaming populace in Bauchi metropolis.

“Surgeries are presently going on at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital and I want to thank the management of the hospital as they have always been partners in progress.

“They provided a portion of the hospital that will cater for these less privileged people in the society,” he said.

Abubakar further highlighted some of the free medical services to be provided to include; dental consultations, day procedures, ultrasound and obstetrics consultations and treatment.

Others, he said included; general male and female outpatient services, laboratory services, nutritional counseling services and education as well as pharmaceutical services.

Also speaking, Dr Yusuf Bappa, the Chairman, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Bauchi State, said the outreach 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.

“We are here to see the patients that have various ailements and of course to attend to them and profer solutions to them.

“We have three points within Bauchi metropolis and the target is to reach as many p ople as possible in each of the point,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Malam Abubakar Isa, lauded the Minister for coming to them with a life saving programme.

Isa, who had been battling with cataract for more than a decade, said he didn’t believe that a day would come for him to be operated free of charge.

============