By Igoniko Oduma,
About 3,000 people of Bayelsa State have benefited from the medical outreach organized by the State Sustainable Development Goals, (SDGs).
The outreach aimed at improving the well-being of people in the three senatorial districts of the state, started at Sampou community in the central district, taken to Sagbama town in the west and ended at Ogbolomabiri-Nembe in the east district on Saturday.
The beneficiaries received free medical care from medical professionals, including surgeons and pharmacists, who provided services like screening for hypertension, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, COVID-19 and vaccination as well as surgeries.
Some also received dental care, eye tests and free eyeglasses, wheelchairs and crutches for those with disabilities.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Sustainable Development Goals, Ebiwari Wariowei, explained that the essence of the medical outreach was to provide immediate critical healthcare to the people of the state.
He said the programme was also organised to ensure the people in the various communities are healthy in line with the maxim, “health is wealth”, as it is only healthy citizens that can go about with veritable ventures.
Wariowei said, “We are undertaking minor surgeries like the one for hernia, eye test, dental care, HIV/AIDS testing, typhoid, malaria and many more, this is to give them primary health care and we must say thank you to the Governor for always prioritizing the health and well-being of our people”.
While thanking Governor Douye Diri for approving funds for the health intervention programme, he emphasized that the agency remains a key vision driver of the governor’s prosperity agenda for the people.
Wariowei, who also underwent dental care, and eye test, and presented some wheelchairs and crutches to physically-challenged persons, visited the theatre room to encourage patients undergoing surgery for a hernia.
The Health Desk Officer at the Bayelsa SDGs Office, Lily Appah expressed delight that the people in the three senatorial districts turned out in their numbers to take advantage of the services offered by the medical team.
She thanked the medical team for carrying out their task professionally and urged the people to expect more health interventions in the coming days as the Bayelsa SDGs Office is committed to impacting lives.
A beneficiary, Ebiotu Kwesi, who is a retiree, said though she lives in Ughelli in Delta State, on hearing the announcement on the radio, she quickly travelled back home to Sampou to receive free medical care.
“I’m very pleased and pleasured and happy about this free medical care packaged by the state government and the SDGs Office. The treatment is good and I want it to be sustained”.
Also, the paramount ruler of Sagbama Federated Communities, Chief Magbisa Moses-Ojo, said most health facilities in the local areas are not performing optimally and expressed joy that the government has brought succour through the SDGs intervention in health.
