The Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, on Saturday launched a free medical outreach for the treatment of eye-related diseases and other ailments at Gashua in Bade Local Government Area (LGA) of Yobe.
Lawan said that the outreach was a necessary intervention for the residents of the area.
“This medical outreach is in line with what we believe to be important and necessary as an intervention for our people who need either surgeries or general treatments to recover or improve their sights,’’ he said.
He said 5,000 persons would be treated for eye-related ailments, while 6,000 others for hypertension, diabetes and other medical complications.
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The senate president pledged to construct students’ hostels, clinic, staff quarters and science laboratories at the Federal University, Gashua.
Earlier, Prof. Adamu Abdullahi, the Head of the Medical Outreach Team, had underscored the importance of the programme.
“You may not know the impact of this activity until you get to the people who are direct beneficiaries of the programme.
“Majority of them are artisans and farmers, and for a lot of them, the problem had impacted on the quality of their lives.
“But today, this intervention will turn around their economic fortunes, some of them will be able to go and do their normal businesses,’’ Abdullahi said.
Mr Adamu Dagona, the Director Personnel and Management of Bade LGA, said the senate president’s interventions have gone beyond medical outreach to other spheres of human endeavour.
Dagona said that the interventions had extended to scholarships, mass annual animal vaccinations, provision of educational facilities, healthcare services, electricity, water and sanitation, roads and youth empowerment, amongst others.