Medical outreach: 300 benefit from RCCG branch at 26th anniversary

More than 300 adults and children on Saturday benefited from a medical outreach organised by an area headquarters of the Redeemed Christian Church of God to celebrate 26th anniversary.

The Calvary Area Headquarters in Lagos Province 89 organised the outreach in collaboration with Chike Okoli Foundation, Emzor Pharmaceuticals Plc. and Pharmatex Industries.

The area headquarters is located at Oshodi.

Our correspondent reports that the medical outreach included free consultation, checking of blood pressure, blood sugar screening, deworming, body mass index check and a general check-up.

The Pastor-in-Charge of the area, Mr Jeffrey Aganbi, said at the event that the church was commitment to community development.

He said that the headquarters started an annual medical outreach in 2018, by the inspiration of God, to give back to the society.

He said that government alone could not provide all basic needs of the citizens.

“The programme is another way to reach out to our immediate community and help to provide solutions to their health challenges through nurses and doctors, at no cost,” he said.

Aganbi praised the management of Chike Okoli Foundation, Emzor Pharmaceuticals Plc. and Pharmatex Industries for supporting the church in bringing succour to the needy.

He said that the anniversary with the theme: “Generational Blessings,” which started on Tuesday, would end on Sunday with a thanksgiving service.

Dr Rotimi Adesanya, a family physician and Head of Medical Service, Federal College of Education Medical Centre, Akoka, Lagos State, praised the church for the initiative.

Adesanya, who was in the medical team at the event, said that many Nigerians shunned medical treatment because of economic hardship.

“What the church is doing is good for the society, it is complementary to what government is doing.

“The truth is that, in this present time, many people are unable to access healthcare due to the prevailing economic situation.

“People don’t have money to even take transport to hospital, and many of our people do what is called out-of-pocket treatment; they don’t have health insurance, they pay from their pockets.

“Now, money is scarce; so, many people cannot go to hospital, but the church is providing this service for free,” he said.

Adesanya said that some people with high blood pressure were not aware that they had the condition.

“Many people with high blood pressure don’t know that they have it and they don’t have money to buy drugs.

“The church is giving them the drugs free; we saw many malaria cases too and we advised them to sleep with insecticide-treated nets,” Adesanya said.

Adesanya urged Nigerians to embrace healthy lifestyles by reducing salt intake, having regular exercises and eating healthy.

According to him, prevention is better than cure.

Mrs Esther Ayo from Chike Okoli Foundation, who was also in the medical team, said that a lot of people were hypertensive, while some were diabetic without knowing.

Ayo said that many of the beneficiaries knew their health statuses through the medical outreach.

She said that the medical outreach offered the community members an opportunity to know their medical conditions and have access to free drugs.

Ayo said that the organisation was happy to partner with the church to show love to the community.

One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Ifeyinwa Obi, commended the church for the annual medical outreach, saying that the church had been a responsible organisation.