A Nongovernmental organization, Barrister Sam Otoboeze Foundation (BSOF) on Sunday in Nsukka, Enugu State provided free medical assistance and skills to some less privileged persons from the state.
The free medical outreach featured presentation of prosthetic limbs to some physically challenged persons, blood pressure and blood sugar checks, Body Mass Index (BMI) status as well as general health and dietary counselling.
The two-day event, which started on Dec. 19, 2020, also witnessed exhibitions of various items produced at the skill acquisition centre of the foundation.
Speaking at the event, President and Founder of BSOF, Mr Sam Otoboeze, said that the foundation decided to engage in the free medical outreach to assist those who could not afford to go to hospitals as well as ensure that they were not exposed to diseases like COVID-19.
Otoboeze said the foundation was set up in 2014 with focus on alleviation of poverty among rural dwellers including youth, women and physically challenged.
According to him, we observe that some of our people, especially the aged among them, have little sicknesses which needed to be checked before they become complicated.
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He said: “Some erroneously do not go to the hospital rather they attribute their illnesses to one superstitious belief or myth.
“So, this free medical outreach at their doorsteps will afford them the holistic medicare as well as professional medical advice to make them well and strong to fend for themselves’’.
The President said that BSOF had remained not only a charity organisation but one that used social active support as a tool to deal with crimes at incubation age.
“As an organization, we believe the best theatre of war against crime is rural areas that produce a lot of jobless youths, who in their search for better means of livelihood end up swelling city criminal gangs,” he said.
Otoboeze said the foundation had helped many youths to acquire skills from its skills acquisition centre free of charge.
“Now many of them are employers of labour and breadwinners of their families,” he said.
In a remark, the Chairman of the occasion and onetime Inspector General of Police, Mr Mike Okiro, commended the foundation for empowering many jobless youths through skills acquisition as well as putting smiles on faces of many physically challenged people.
“If we have many of this foundation in the country, unemployment will not only reduce, crime will also reduce.
“I commend the founder, who is my good friend, for his determination and hunger to empower jobless youths and put smiles on the faces of those who have lost hope in society.
“I am happy that the foundation is not only helping people from Enugu state alone but poor people from different parts of the country residing in the state and that shows Otoboeze as a true patriot.
“I urge wealthy Nigerians to support this foundation financially and morally so that many poor people will continue to benefit from the foundation.
Dr Uchenna Ugwuanyi, the Team Leader of BSOF Foundation Free Medical Outreach, expressed satisfaction with the turnout at the outreach.
Ugwuanyi, who also works with Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Parklane in Enugu, noted that most of the patients attended to, presented diagnosed case of malaria.
He said that the patients were counselled to maintain good hygiene especially proper and continuous handwashing habit as well as environmental cleanliness to reduce the transfer of germs and multiplication of mosquitoes.
“They were also counselled on the need to seek healthcare in hospitals and not to engage in self-medication and superstitions that usually complicates a health challenge.
“They should eat a balanced diet and take advantage of eating natural and local nutritious foods, vegetables and fruits within their farms to keep healthy and build strong immunity against diseases,’’ he said.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Juliet Ugwu, thanked the foundation for the free medical attention and drugs given to her.
“The drugs and balm I collected today will surely relieve my knee pains. I am grateful for the foundation’s love and kind gesture,’’ Ugwu said.
Mr Johnson Ugwueze, the physically challenged person, who received a prosthetic limb, prayed God to bless the founder of BSOF foundation for making him walk again.
“Silver and gold have I none to give to Otoboeze, but my prayer is that as Otoboeze meets me at the point of my need God will also meet him at his point of need,” he said.
A highlight of the occasion was an inspection of an exhibition of items produced by the Skills Acquisition Centre of the foundation.