Foundation organises one-week medical outreach

Poised to help as many Lagos residents as possible in taking care of their different health challenges, the Onome Omobolaji Obada Foundation (OOOF) last week partnered with Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to stage a one-week medical outreach at the Military Hospital, Ikoyi, Lagos.

According to the founder and convener, United Lagos and chairperson, OOOF, Votu Obada, he said the foundation was created to honour and immortalise his late sister who died from sickle-cell disease.

“We brought the outreach to Lagos at the governor’s behest and also because we know people often tend to forget their health because of the busy lifestyle here. This is the third edition but our first time in Lagos.”

Obada said the one-week outreach saw over 5000 people and covered hundreds of surgical operations, eye surgeries, dental works, routine checkups and so on while more severe cases were referred to specialist hospitals. He said they plan to broaden their scope by partnering with international cardiac doctors to take care of cardiac issues as well. “We worked with United Lagos and the Military hospital on this project. I must also thank governor Sanwo-Olu who insisted we come to Lagos. It was his idea and he supported us all the way. We hope to take this to at least 10 locations across the state next time. I’m calling on well-meaning Nigerians to take up different projects across board to help one another, the future is about collaboration,” he said.
Project coordinator, Chidi Nwakpa, said the turnout was impressive and they attended to everyone that turned up to the best of their abilities. “This outreach has been very impactful because we saw people battling health issues for years but couldn’t do anything about it because of funds. People came from as far as Delta, Ibadan and Osun states to be here, it humbled us so much,” he said.

Adebayo Bolatito, who underwent a fibroid operation, said she was originally supposed to undergo surgery at Military Hospital in Ibadan. “The woman I was supposed to meet there told me they were doing a free outreach in Lagos and advised me to go there and the rest is history.” Adebayo said she was told she needed surgery a year ago after she did an abdominal scan following continuous pains in her abdomen that refused to go. “I was told I would need N500, 000 for the fibroid operation, which I didn’t have but my mother told me a miracle would happen.”

Praising the organisers, she thanked them for their benevolence and philanthropy. “When I was told I would need surgery, I was so afraid, not just for the operation itself, but the funds. We have not even eaten, where would I get half a million from? They saved my life,” she said.
Another beneficiary, Rukayat Yakub who also underwent fibroid removal, said she had been battling with the ailment for over two years with no help. A mother of four, she said they struggled to get by and couldn’t afford hospital visits but when the pain became unbearable, sought help from a matron. “I was told I needed urgent surgery but when I told my husband, he said he could not afford the operation which was cost at half a million naira. Shortly after, my brother alerted me to this outreach and he brought me here himself.”

She thanked the Lagos State governor and the foundation for coming to her aid as well as the other beneficiaries.
Tolu Daramola, another beneficiary, expressed her gratitude to the organisers. “I was told there was a complication but they even took care of that. I have been managing the fibroids for about two years but started having complications late last year and was told I needed an urgent surgery because I wouldn’t stop bleeding. I bled so much, my blood count dropped to 19 per cent and they couldn’t do surgery because of this. Last month, I finally got it up to 30 per cent and co-incidentally, this opportunity came up. When I had cost the procedure then, I was told I would need half a million, N350, 000 for the surgery and N150, 000 for the post-op care. They did everything free for us, I cannot think of a bigger miracle than this and say thank you to them because they practically saved my life,” she said.