NMA offers free medical services in Kuchingoro Camp

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November 1, 2016 12:49 PM

The NMA chairman in Abuja made this known on Monday at the association’s medical intervention outreach

Some displaced people in an IDP camp

No fewer than 600 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were offered free medical services by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in the new Kuchingoro Camp in Abuja.

Dr Jude Achonwa, the NMA chairman in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, made this known on Monday at the association’s medical intervention outreach to mark the “2016 Physician Week’’.

Achonwa said that the interventions include: blood sugar screening, body Max Index, health education, malaria treatment, de-worming, diarrhoea and preventive measures against infectious diseases, among others.

He said that the effort was geared toward addressing the prevailing health needs in the camp with the population of no fewer than 1,500 people.

Achonwa urged the media and other well meaning Nigerians to assist in the provision of foods to the IDPs.

“I appeal to the media to use their capacity to prevail on the philanthropists on the need to address the welfare challenges facing the IDPs.

“The present predicament of the IDPs are not self inflicted, they are victims of circumstances,’’ he said.

Achonwa said that the association would re-strategies in its outreach programmes.

“Physicians Week is a time that doctors in Nigeria will try to give a little of what they have back to the society.

“In that quest, we believe one of the most important things is to give healthcare to the society.

“It is not that we cannot give foods considering our comparative cost advantage, we believe that the main thing we have is healthcare.

“We believe we need to give healthcare to them; having heard of their welfare needs, we can also go back and see how we can assist in other areas,’’ Achonwa said.

Also, Dr Idris Liman, the Chairman Local Organising Committee of the 2016 Physicians Week, said that the camp was carefully selected based on its location and the number of people there.

Liman said that considering the number of people dwelling in the camps, they could be exposed to communicable diseases.

He said, “All children at the camp were de-wormed to address any worm-related disease.

“With the number of IDPs in the camp, there is need for us to look at them, and see if there are problems and how to address the problems.

“Of course, for the already identified problems, we will find a way of handling them, either in form of treatment, advice or take them to the hospital where the treatment can be obtained.

“A camp is a temporal residence, so there is always need to put eye on it for communicable diseases, among others.’’

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