Former Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Rt Hon Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, has said her annual free medical outreach is rooted in her covenant with God and commitment to humanity, rather than partisan politics.

Onyejeocha spoke on Sunday at the commencement of the Umunneochi phase of her 19th Nkeiruka Onyejeocha Medical & Surgery Outreach at the Madam Suzanna Mba Health Centre in Isuochi, Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State.

She said her desire to care for the sick and less privileged was shaped by her upbringing and the example set by her grandmother.

“What God said to me is that I should go and represent Him, and I will do what He sent me to do. If He says I have to take care of His people, then I have to take care of His people,” she said.

Recalling her childhood, Onyejeocha said her grandmother taught her obedience, discipline, devotion to God and compassion for those in need.

“I was once a little girl living with my grandmother, and I obeyed her. That is what I tell the youth of today: obey your parents so that your days may be long.

“My grandmother blessed me and encouraged me to go to church while ensuring that I did not neglect my household chores. She also cared for the less privileged who had nothing,” she said.

The All Progressives Congress candidate for the Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency explained that her commitment to providing free healthcare was not something she learnt at school but a value instilled in her at home.

“What I am doing is not something I learnt at school; I learnt it at home. It is difficult for me to stop because I cannot stop what has been built into me,” she said.

According to her, she acquired the property housing the medical centre and completed the facility within six months after becoming dissatisfied with the politicisation of healthcare.

“This is not a government health centre. I named it after my grandmother. It has nothing to do with politics; it has everything to do with my covenant with my family and my God,” she said.

Onyejeocha stressed that the outreach was open to everyone, irrespective of political affiliation.

“It is free for everyone, whether you belong to the APC, LP, PDP or ZLP, or even if you do not have a party membership card. I represent everybody, and we all serve one God.

“Do not discriminate against anyone by saying that the person is not a member of the APC. Sickness does not recognise political parties,” she added.

Describing Isuochi as a land of great achievers, Onyejeocha said an indigene of the area was the first person to head the institution now known as the Department of State Services. She urged residents, particularly young people, to remain close to God and reject calls to return to idolatry.

She also said her interventions had helped some constituents secure Federal Government jobs, expressing hope that many of them would rise to become directors within the next 15 years.

Welcoming residents to the Umunneochi phase of the outreach, Onyejeocha assured them that everyone who presented themselves for treatment would be attended to before the exercise ended on Thursday.

“I welcome you to the 19th edition of the Nkeiruka Onyejeocha Medical & Surgery Outreach. I beg you, in the name of God, to participate in this free medical outreach in love.

“Everyone here will be attended to. We will remain here until Thursday, and if you are not attended to today, you will be attended to before the final day. Doctors care, but God heals,” she said.

A Labour Party chieftain, Chief Ike Opigwe, commended Onyejeocha for sustaining the initiative irrespective of whether she occupied public office.

“What she has brought here has nothing to do with political parties. Sickness does not ask which party you belong to, and she has sustained this outreach for years, whether in office or out of office,” Opigwe said.

Also speaking, a community leader, Chief Bethel Onyedikachi Eze, described a healthy population as one of the most important measures of development.

“The best form of development is ensuring that the community is healthy. From what I have seen and heard, this is not about politics. It is for the people of Isuikwuato and Umunneochi and, indeed, the whole of Abia State,” Eze said.

The Umunneochi phase of the 19th Free Medical Outreach will continue at the Madam Suzanna Mba Health Centre, Isuochi, until Thursday, July 30, 2026.