Over 160 residents have undergone major and minor surgeries at the 11th free medical outreach of the Cross River State Government, through the Office of the Wife of the Governor.
Held at the General Hospital, Okpoma, Yala Local Government Area, the four-day exercise also provided medical consultations, eye and dental care, laboratory investigations and eyeglasses to residents of the Northern Senatorial District.
The figures capture the scale of the intervention, but for many beneficiaries, the outreach meant finally receiving treatment they had been unable to afford.
A total of 1,697 general consultations, 530 eye consultations, 232 eyeglasses, 82 dental procedures, 253 laboratory investigations and 167 major and minor surgeries were recorded during the exercise.
The intervention is part of the Cross River State Government’s healthcare support programme, through the Office of the Wife of the Governor, providing free medical services to vulnerable residents facing financial barriers to treatment.
Special Assistant on New Media and Communications to the Wife of the Governor, Kenneth Anam, who represented the Wife of the State Governor, Eyo-anwan Otu, explains the objective of the programme and how beneficiaries are given access to the services.
We Defied Sit-At-Home, Boko Haram, Banditry To Conduct Exams – NECO
For some residents, access to the programme meant more than consultation or medication.
The intervention provided relief to residents across Yala and neighbouring communities who would otherwise have had to bear the full cost of medical care.
Executive Chairman of Yala Local Government Area, Fred Okem, says the intervention has brought relief to residents, particularly those who had lived with ailments requiring treatment but could not afford the cost.
For the Cross River State Government, the intervention is another channel for taking healthcare closer to vulnerable residents.
For the beneficiaries, it is the difference between living with an untreated condition and finally receiving the care they need.
(Follow AIT News on WhatsApp, AfricaIndependentTV on YouTube, ait_online on Facebook and X (Formerly Twitter), and officialait on TikTok, Instagram and Threads)
(Editor: Ada Ononye)
