Gburugburu Medical Outreach Saves 465 Lives in Enugu

465 patients from several communities in Enugu State were saved from appendicitis, hernia, fibroid and other life-threatening diseases during a free medical outreach. Men, women and children who had suffered the pangs of these ailments for years got a new lease of life through the free surgery programme, which began early last year.

The free surgery was an offshoot of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s health programme targeted at people at the grassroots. The leader of the medical team, Dr. George Ajogwu, told Daily Sun that Ugwuanyi’s healthcare programme for Enugu people was the primary motivation behind the Gburugburu Free Surgery Programme.

He said the exercise was taken to the doorsteps of the people and provided a safety net for poor families to access quality medical care. According to him, various surgeries were conducted at zero financial cost and medicines given out to patients from different communities in Enugu State.

While recounting the impact of the programme, Ajogwu said, “hundreds of patients from different communities were treated at various times at Nimbo Medical Centre, Model Health Centre, Ohom-Orba, Nsukka Health Centre and other locations across the state.” According to him, patients visited the venue closer to them but he was surprised to discover patients coming from faraway Ebonyi and Imo states.

Hundreds of patients burdened with deadly ailments went home with smiling faces. Among the beneficiaries were Eze Blessing, who had a case of multiple fibroid and myomectomy, done. Also, Awelle Nnena, from Delta State residing in Enugu, suffered a case of breech presentation and was delivered of a baby boy through caesarean section.

A pathetic case was that of 11-month-old Eze Chikamso, that suffered from inguinoscrotal hernia and underwent a successful surgical procedure. Likewise Josephine Utazi suffered from complex right ovarian cyst, which was successfully removed through surgery, while Oguejiofor Juliet was saved from ruptured appendix.

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Ajogwu, who bagged a humanitarian service award by the Coalition of Youths in Enugu North, said the exercise was launched to support the good performance of the Ugwunayi-led administration. He said the exercise was spread out to different communities in the state within the past eight months and expressed satisfaction that no fatality was recorded among the 465 cases handled. He maintained that the exercise would subsequently improve the life expectancy of people living in Enugu State.

While appraising the performance of Ugwuanyi in the health sector, Ajogwu described him as a living saint and urged other professionals from the state to join hands with Gburugburu in making Enugu the best state in Nigeria. He enumerated several legacy projects in the state, including the completion of the state-of-the-art Enugu Medical Diagnostic Centre, the establishment of Enugu State University of Medical and Applied Sciences and rehabilitation of state hospitals, among others.

Ajogwu scored Ugwuanyi high on the delivery of democracy dividends to the people, stressing that medical centres across the state have been revived and equipped to cater for the health needs of Enugu people. He said most of the surgeries were performed in these health centres. He argued that Ugwuanyi’s legacy would remain indelible in Enugu and expressed optimism that he would achieve a resounding victory in the forthcoming senatorial election. He further canvassed support for Gburugburu and asked the people of Enugu to vote wisely in support of good leadership.

To ascertain the impact of the programme on local communities, the chairman of Uzo-Uwani LGA, Hon. Chukwudi Nnadozie, paid an unscheduled visit to Nimbo Medical Centre, which was one of the centres for the exercise. On sighting the council boss, beneficiaries thronged out in hundreds with shouts of joy. They expressed their gladness for the life-saving programme, describing the initiative as a lifeline for the poor. The council boss further made a cash donation to the beneficiaries who came from different communities.

Hon. Solomon Onah, the chairman, Udenu LGA, was at one of the centres during the exercise, where he praised the programme and gave his financial support to the beneficiaries.