No fewer than 500 residents of Zide and Madagbayo communities in Ovia South-West Local Council Area of Edo State benefited from the fifth edition of the Aaron Ponuwei Ebelo Foundation’s free medical outreach.

The two-day outreach, held from April 4 to 5, 2026, featured over 35 medical personnel who conducted various tests, including blood sugar level, HIV, Hepatitis B and C, blood pressure, weight checks, eye examinations, optical dispensing, and medical consultations.

Appropriate medications were also provided to beneficiaries.

Speaking at the Zide Community outreach, the foundation’s founder, Goodluck Ebelo, said the initiative was aimed at providing free medical care to underserved communities, especially during festive periods.

“We do not have hospitals or healthcare centres in this area, so we felt that during festivals, especially Christmas and Easter, we could invite volunteer doctors and other medical practitioners to the village to address various health challenges affecting the people.

This has been ongoing for the past three years,” he said.

Ebelo also outlined the foundation’s future plans, noting that it intends to refurbish, furnish, and equip abandoned government health facilities in the area, as well as engage qualified personnel to operate them.

On her part, the Project Director of the foundation, Dr Hannah Ojo, said the initiative was inspired by the need to curb preventable deaths in the communities.

“This initiative was conceived as a result of people losing their lives to preventable causes. If there had been access to proper medical care, many of them would have survived,” she said.

“Although there are health centres in these communities, they are not functioning optimally. We felt we could help reduce the mortality rate by providing essential healthcare services. For those requiring surgical attention, we also connect them to hospitals where they can receive treatment.”