300,000 IDPs benefit from NAF free medical service in two years – CMO

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), said on Monday that no fewer than 300,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have benefited from its free medical services in two years.

The NAF Chief Medical Officer, AVM Sale Shinkafi, who made the disclosure in Maiduguri, said that the patients received free treatment at the various medical outreaches organised by the service.

Shinkafi said that the medical interventions included general surgeries, obstetrics, gynaecology and ophthalmology.

He explained that exercise, conducted in Abuja, Yola, Maiduguri among others, enabled no fewer than 300,000 IDPs with different ailments to receive free treatment within the period.

The chief medical officer disclosed that the command was currently conducting surgical operations on 300 IDPs in Borno.

“The exercise is part of the NAF medical intervention designed to alleviate the surgical condition of IDPs in Borno State.

“About 100 IDPs with special cases are selected each from three camps; Dalori, Banki and Bama, to benefit from the exercise.

“This is part of a comprehensive intervention towards improving the health status of the IDPS”.

Shinkafi added that NAF had also established two clinics at Dalori and Bama IDPs camps, noting that the health facilities were equipped with modern gadgets.

The chief medical officer revealed that some 150 eye surgeries were done in Maiduguri in 2016 while over 35, 000 IDPs received free medical treatment in the area in the last two years.

“More than 10, 000 IDPs were also treated at the NAF emergency center in Bama.

“We are also providing psycho-social therapy to traumatized IDPs and cancer screening services,” he added.

According to him, the command is also providing free meals to 500 pupils in Bama under its nutrition support scheme.