RCCG medical outreach: 500 Lagos residents benefit

RCCG medical outreach for 500 residents of the Oshodi area of Lagos State. | Credit: RCCG

Not less than 500 residents of the Oshodi area of Lagos State benefited from the medical outreach organised by The Calvary Zonal Headquarters, Province 89 of the Redeemed Christian Church of God over the weekend.

The yearly outreach, organised in collaboration with the Chike Okoli Foundation and Emzor Pharmaceuticals, held at the church premises on Saturday, allowed beneficiaries to have their eyes, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and other vital signs checked.

While speaking at the event, the Pastor-In-Charge of the Zone, Jeffrey Aganbi, noted that the annual outreach was part of the church’s efforts at giving back to the community.

He highlighted that the church recognised the importance of healthy living and the challenges the economy posed to Nigerians in accessing affordable health care.

And he also urged the government at all levels to address issues of shortage of personnel and funding in the health sector.

He said, “We understand that the government cannot do everything. One of our obligations as Christians is to take care of our neighbours, be our neighbour’s keeper. The RCCG has also encouraged us to undertake Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.”

“Sometimes, you go to a hospital, and the diagnosis is wrong. If we have the right equipment, and professionals are there, doctors and nurses, a lot of people who are dying every day will be saved.

“The government has to do more than what it is doing now at every level. The local, state, and federal governments just have to do more.”

Also speaking, the Programme coordinator for Chike Okoli Foundation, Obiageli Adimachukwu, commended the parish for the collaboration and providing the platform for engagement and urged residents to prioritise their health, stressing that routine check-ups are essential for their well-being.

She also admonished the government to provide medications and improve the primary healthcare centres.

She said, “People should go for their regular checkups at any primary healthcare centre around them. I heard that the PHCs are free, but you find out that people don’t even go. But most times, you don’t blame them because when you go there, you find out they don’t even have certain medications for them.

“I urge the government to support primary healthcare centres. They should encourage them because when you go to most primary health care centres across the country, you find out no drugs are available, depending on the area.”

In her remarks, a volunteer medical practitioner, Rhoda Aluya, urged the residents to shun self-medication and ensure they avoid anything that can affect their health.

“A lot of people, even when they are sick, because of the cost of living, don’t have the funds to go and get the right medicines. So, you see them doing self-medication, buying what is not even what they need to treat themselves at that particular time.

“So, an initiative like this is really good. What we do is to preach prevention, which is that if you notice your environment is the things that make you sick, you run away from there. Maintain a healthy lifestyle, eat right, and rest well so that you don’t break down. Then, if you feel any deviation from normal, you seek medical advice on time so that you don’t come down to the level that it may cost your life,” Aluyah added.

Reacting on behalf of the community, a beneficiary and the Abayomi Community Development Association chairman, Adeboye Oludayo, commended the RCCG parish for the annual outreach, stressing that feedback from the beneficiaries had been commendable.

He urged other religious organisations to emulate such an initiative.

“The community residents have been commending the effort, and it has gone a long way in getting some health issues, which may lead to ailment, resolved, and then the drugs that they also give here, some people continue with it, and they give glory to God,” Oludayo said.

Another beneficiary, Yemi Kushimo, noted that the outreach was timely as he had an ailment that he was not financially able to address, but with the outreach, he was able to get the necessary intervention.

From reliable sources, it was gathered that about 10,000 people, irrespective of sex, tribe, religion and age, have benefited from the  outreach in the past over 11 years ago.