Hospital organises free medical care for host community

Worried by the increase in mortality in Nigeria, because of lack access to quality healthcare delivery, Watershed hospital Jakande Estate, Oke-Afa, Lagos, has organized free medical care for people of the community.

The free medical care was in line with world health week 2015 and also as part of the hospital’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) to give back to the society where it operates.

The Medical Director, of the hospital Dr. Uche Ezeani, said problem with Nigerian’s health system is lack of policy in place and corruption driven and tends to ridicule the skill, efforts and sacrifices being thrown in by one of the best in the health profession all over the world.

It is very embarrassing to still be treating malaria and typhoid with resources that should be used for research and treatment of non-communicable diseases.

Ezeani said he left civil service in 2011 and finding still had enough reserve to continue in the only business he ever done, transferred his zeal to the private sector as watershed hospital, borrowing a leaf from senior hospitals such as Lagoon Hospital, Eko Hospital, Havana hospital among other hospitals.

He said the hospital decided to settle at the sprawling suburb of Oke-Afa with few tertiary health facilities, to see if the hospital can make difference.

This is the hospital’s aim for this health week. Ezeani said: “Of course we see health as defined by world health organization as a state of physical, mental and social wellbeing and not just the absence of disease and infirmity.

We have watched for many years merely scotching the snake in the tertiary health facilities while the main obstacles for health remain outside our reach in the community.

We know that true health is to be found out there in the downtown where the people live next to brackish drains don’t flow and potable water is like gold. To continue to treat malaria and typhoid under such conditions is the greatest 419 of our time”.

Ezeani affirmed that government should bring in the public private partnership (PPP) into the health care sector. The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS should emulate obamacare. Politicians should be more empathetic to the plight of the people most of who can afford health in order to improve healthcare delivery in Nigeria.

“How again does one understand the self destructing help seeking behavior of the people who have a phobia for organized health facility but prefer to line up to receive vital health acre, even surgery from chemists manned by people with less than secondary education and prayer homes hoping to receive cure. I came to the conclusion that before we can handle the disease we must eradicate poverty and ignorance.

“With our limited recourses we took the bold steps to mobilize whatever we can from well meaning friends and relations to make small impact even while the politicians are at the peak of noise making, promising much and giving nothing to people who know not their right.

If our health is not a basic right then how can we be entitled to life? The theme of this health week is quality and affordable health care, the right of the people. Even after the health week we will continued to remain at the people’s service through phone and website which will be activated by first April 2015 under www.health accessing.com at minimal cost.