By Bala Dauda,Jalingo
The Presidential Committee on North -East Initiatives (PCNI) has so far conducted surgeries on 38 out of the 2000 patients it treated in Takum, Taraba, under its one week free medical outreach scheme.
The scheme is in collaboration with Pro-Health International and the West African Association of Surgeons.
Dr. Gabriel Toma, Head of Surgeons, who disclosed this to newsmen in Takum, said the surgeries included appendectomy, hernia surgery, Myomectomy, caesarian section, among others.
He said the scheme, which began on Tuesday, may not be able to reach its 170 target surgeries, given the limitation of personnel and the curfew imposed on the area.
He however said the team would try its best to conduct qualitative surgeries within the available time.
Also speaking, PCNI’s Head of Humanitarian, Rehabilitation and Resettlement, Dr. Sidi Mohammed, said the free medical outreach initiative was aimed at reaching out to the less privileged, especially those who fled insurgency in the north -east.
“At the height of the insurgency, most people, including health workers, were displaced and could not afford to pay medical bills. So the programme is designed to reach out to such categories of people.
“We have another medical programme, specifically for those in IDPs camps, but only 10 percent of the displaced people are in the camps. So that’s why we are here in General Hospital Takum to reach out to as a many as possible.
“During our one week outreach programme here, we will be treating people of various ailments and conducting minor and major surgeries, and attending to other health needs of the people, ” he said.
He said the PCNI had conducted free medical outreach in Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa and Taraba under the first phase of the scheme, adding that the second phase, commencing on April 8, would have two weeks duration to enhance greater accessibility.
On her part, Mrs. Juliet Hananiya, Programme Manager, Free Health Care, Pro-Health International, said the partnership, since it began in 2017, had helped a lot of patients suffering from hypertension, ulcer, diabetes, malaria, among others.
She added that they also carried out free health promotion, laboratory services, dental services, eye treatment services and issuance of drugs.
A beneficiary of the programme, Mr. Richard Sak, who battled with hernia for six years, commended the federal government and its partners for the assistance.
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