No fewer than 500 residents of Ese-Ofin, a riverine community in Oto-Awori Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State, have benefited from a free medical outreach.
The outreach was organised on Saturday by the Cherubim and Seraphim Society to commemorate its 70th Harvest Anniversary and Thanksgiving Service.
Tagged “New Mercy”, the programme was sponsored by Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State.
It provided free health talks, medical consultations, vital signs checks, drug dispensing, genotype and blood-group tests, as well as blood pressure and blood sugar checks.
Speaking at the event, Dr Ololade Fadipe, Commissioner IV, Health Service Commission, Lagos State, said the initiative aimed to provide healthcare to residents of Ese-Ofin and neighbouring communities.
“The purpose of this free medical outreach is to take care of our people in Ese-Ofin and its neighbouring communities.
“The programme is sponsored by APC Chairman, Pastor Ojelabi, who wants the best for his people in this area,” she said.
Fadipe said the programme catered for the elderly, pregnant women, children, adults and youths in the community.
She said the medical team arrived at about 7 a.m. and divided the exercise into seven units, including registration, vital signs, consultation, laboratory, pharmacy and eye care.
“Everything here today, from eye checks to medications and prescription glasses, is absolutely free. No one is paying anything,” she said.
According to her, beneficiaries were registered and subjected to vital signs checks, including blood pressure and blood sugar tests, before seeing doctors for consultation and prescriptions.
She said doctors from various hospitals in Lagos State participated in the outreach.
Fadipe said the laboratory unit conducted blood-group, genotype, diabetes, malaria and other tests, while the pharmacy dispensed prescribed medications.
She listed the medications as antibiotics, antimalarials, antidiabetics, antihypertensives and multivitamins, adding that drugs were also provided for pregnant women, children and the elderly.
She said the eye-care unit provided free screening, medication and reading glasses to residents with sight-related challenges.
“We have provisions for more than 500 people here today, and I believe we cannot finish what we have here for them,” she said.
Fadipe urged residents to prioritise their health and adhere to medical advice.
“Health is wealth. Please take care of your health and follow medical advice. Don’t play with your health,” she said.
Mrs Adegoke Olaitan, a 60-year-old beneficiary from Ese-Ofin, thanked the organisers for bringing the free medical services to the community.
She said she received medication for her ailment and prayed for God’s blessings on the organisers.
Another beneficiary, Mr Samuel Ojelabi, a diabetic patient, commended the medical team for attending promptly to the residents.
He also thanked Ojelabi for giving back to the community.
As of the time of filing this report, more than 500 residents had been attended to and had returned home with medications and free reading glasses.
