RCCG Provides Free Medical Outreach To 600 In Lagos Community

LAGOS

The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), the Calvary Area Headquarters, Province 89, Oshodi, Lagos recently held a medical outreach for residents of the community as part of activities to mark its 25th anniversary.

No fewer than 600 adults and children benefitted from the activity that featured free consultations, blood pressure check, blood sugar screening, eye test, among others.

The outreach was organised in collaboration with Chike OkoliFoundation, Emzor Pharmaceuticals and Pharmatex Industries.

Mr Jeffrey Aganbi, Pastor-In-Charge of the Area, said the outreach has been on for over 10 years to improve the well-being of people in the area. The pastor said the  Church executed a borehole  to ease the burden within the community.

“The major objective for the outreach is to bring healthcare services closer to the community at no cost   because access to medical care is a big challenge in Nigeria. A lot of people with one underlying ailment or the other are dying in silence because they can’t afford the exorbitant hospital bills,” he added.

The medical director, MacTayo Hospital, Dr Chijindu David, identified ignorance as the major contributing factor to health conditions as many people with high blood pressure were not even aware that they have the condition.

According to him,“Almost 90 per cent of the patients consulted here today are hypertensive, which a majority of them are not even aware that they have the condition because they don’t check.”

Programme coordinator, Chike Okoli Foundation, Ms ObiageliAdimachukwu, identified stress as a major factor causing the cardiovascular/heart conditions of most Nigerians. 

A representative of Emzor, Esther Ayo, stated the commitment of the company to continually collaborate with the RCCG to ensure that members of the church and residents of the area have access to healthcare services at no cost.

An elder in the church, Mr Godwin Ohadugha, lauded the church for the outreach, saying it was one of the numerous humanitarian gestures of the church to the community.

Ohadugha said that the church had organised a series of empowerment programmmes and seminars for the youths of the community and members of the church.