•Medics check residents’ blood pressure, sugar level, breast cancer, prostate cancer for men, typhoid, malaria, others
Universal health coverage means that all people have access to the health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship. It includes the full range of essential health services, from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), currently, at least half of the people in the world do not receive the health services they need. About 100 million people are pushed into extreme poverty each year because of out-of-pocket spending on health. This must change.
To make health for all a reality, the WHO said Nigeria and indeed the world needs individuals and communities who have access to high-quality health services so that they take care of their own health and the health of their families; skilled health workers providing quality, people-centred care; and policy-makers committed to investing in universal health coverage.
The WHO said universal health coverage should be based on strong, people-centred primary health care. “Good health systems are rooted in the communities they serve. They focus not only on preventing and treating disease and illness but also on helping to improve well-being and quality of life,” it said.
As part of efforts to ensure that all people have access to the health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship, the wife of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) founder, Dr. Peace Okonkwo, to celebrate her 70th birthday, has donated free food items, clothing materials and medications to over 500 beneficiaries while also encouraging more women to step out and vote in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
Part of the free donations from Okonkwo who is also the resident pastor, TREM Headquarters Church, included a medical outreach during, which the numerous beneficiaries mostly non-members of TREM trooped to TREM National and International Headquarters in Gbagada, Lagos, on Saturday, where they had access to various medical check-up and treatment.
Her efforts were concentrated on the medical outreach for people in the society who needed foodstuffs, clothes, and exercise books for school children, among other gift items.
In an interaction with the media, Okonkwo said, “When I turned 60, I did outreach on the prevention of cervical cancer but this time I decided to be more practical and reach out to people in the society. There are people who are suffering from different illnesses and do not have enough money to pay their medical bills. That is what has informed my decision to help them.
“There are qualified doctors here in this outreach who I believe can help these people in need.”
Okonkwo said she acted on her urge to help members of the society who could not afford to get medical attention irrespective of whether they were members of TREM or not.
Chairman of TREM’s non-governmental organisation called Caring Heart Heritage Initiative, Mr. Frank Nabena, spoke at length about the various services that were available to the people who needed medical help.
“There are about 14 doctors, 16 nurses, a lab scientist and several pharmacists who are available at the outreach to take care of all the people who need medical attention.
“People can be tested to check for blood pressure level, sugar level, breast cancer, prostate cancer for men, typhoid and malaria. There are also drugs available which the pharmacists will dispense to those who need them at the prescription of the doctor,” Nabena said.
He went further to speak on the Care Department of TREM which took responsibility to help people who were identified to need more medical attention that was provided at the outreach. “The church has a non-governmental organisation called Caring Heart Heritage Initiative which helps to extend the helping hand to those who need it. Asides from that, the Care Department in church has already gotten some reports of people who need further medical help and we intend to get it for them soon,” he said.
Bunmi Adejaro, a resident of Gbagada and a beneficiary of the medical outreach, thanked the church for bringing help to the community.
“I am not a member of the church but I just finished undergoing the blood pressure and sugar level tests and I was directed to the pharmacy to get some drugs,” she said while appreciating the efforts of the celebrant.
Patience Abraham, another beneficiary who was not a member of the church, said that she was glad that the outreach was held despite the poor financial situation of many people in the country. “She (Dr. Okonkwo) doesn’t have lots of money or a place where she gets money from but she has a giving heart and just wants to fulfill a passion. God will continue to bless her and everyone that contributed to the success of the outreach,” Abraham said.
Meanwhile, the celebrant encouraged other wealthy women to reach out and give back to society; she also encouraged women of Nigeria to come out and vote in their numbers in the forthcoming elections.
“Women like me who have the means should find their area of calling and give back so that God can use them to bless others. As the elections are coming up, women need to come out and vote because if they refuse to carry out their civic rights, they will inadvertently lose the right to complain in the long run if the wrong candidate later emerges,” Okonkwo said.
