BENIN CITY – Edo State Government, the First Lady of Edo State Her Excellency Betsy Obaseki and the Association of Nigerian Physicians in America (ANPA), are embarking on a Free Medical Mission to Edo South Senatorial District of the State.
The Commissioner for Health Edo State, Prof. Obehi Akoria disclosed this while she accompanied the First Lady of Edo State, Her Excellency Betsy Obaseki on an inspection tour of the Primary Healthcare Centres designated to handle the treatment.
The Medical Mission is billed to hold from April 23 to May 5, 2022, in Edo South Senatorial District as diverse medical treatments including surgeries will be carried out on Edo residents over a period of two weeks.
The Commissioner for Health said “for the first time in the forty year history of ANPA, they are working with us through the Primary Health Care Gateway, and so Her Excellency is visiting the Primary Health Centres that will be used to provide free Healthcare for citizens under the auspices of the “ANPA Edo State Project.”
“They are coming with a team of specialists that include Neurosurgeons, Neurologists, Cardiologist, Endocrinologists, Nephrologists, Pharmacists and Paediatricians including Neonatologists”.
The Commissioner further explained that the medical mission is not intended to be a one off event, but “they are going to also do what we call Telemedicine. What they are going to establish is that going forward, the patients that they are going to see will be followed up remotely. So from their various centres in the United States each of them is volunteering to work with us once a week to review these patients and see how we can extend the care to others in the State”.
Commenting on the ongoing plans for the Primary Healthcare Centres in the State, the Health Commissioner said “I was here at the Oredo Primary Healthcare Centre at about 8:15 this morning and there were already patients waiting. The Doctor we have here for example is more than 20 years, post graduation and we have posted senior doctors across many PHCs in the State. We are seeing very senior nurses here in addition to community health workers.
She added that “the Governor has decided that our Primary Healthcare Centres are going to be like first class out patient clinics in a big general hospital, so that rather than everybody moving to the centre and queuing up endlessly for care, you and I can get care as close as possible to where we live and work.
“And I remember one thing he said which has become our catch phrase ‘if it is not good enough for me, it cannot be good enough for Edo people’. So what we are trying to do right now is to make our PHCs good enough for me, my children, grand children and all Edo people.”
