Health Minister offers free medical outreach to Bauchi flood victims

Prof. Muhammad Ali-Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, has offered free medical outreach to flood victims in Bauchi state.

Inspecting the outreach in Misau and Katagum Local Government Areas of the state on Sunday, Ali-Pate said the outreach was available to as many victims as possible.

According to him, the outreach is being carried out through a collaboration of his privately funded Non-Governmental Organisation, Chigari Foundation and the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).

At the temporary Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Azare, the headquarters of Katagum LGA, the minister lauded the diligence and professionalism exhibited by the medical practitioners attending to the people.

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“The people are receiving treatment for basic diseases like malaria, pneumonia, and hypertension, among others. This is because in this difficult times, we have to do everything we can to provide relief to the people of our country.”

“We have seen the tremendous work that is being carried out by health professionals collectively; medical doctors, pharmacists, nurses and lab scientists all trying to support our communities in this difficult time.

“Whoever comes for this outreach will be checked, examined, diagnosed and treated for free,” he assured.

Ali-Pate said the medical team had attended to more than 1,200 people who had been tested and many of them were diagnosed of malaria, pneumonia, skin condition and had been treated.

“It’s about access in an emergency situation and here we have internally displaced population and we have to do everything we can to support our communities in this difficult time,” he said.

The minister added that through Chigari foundation, all the nine local government areas affected by flood in the state would receive contribution.

He said that the foundation was also targeting to provide direct support to 250 people in each of the local government areas directly affected by flood.

Ali-Pate called on all well meaning Nigerians to join hands to bring succour to communities affected by disasters across the country, to cushion the effects of hardships occasioned by natural disasters.

In his address, Dr Yusuf Bappa, Chairman, Nigerian Medical Association, Bauchi state chapter, explained that the outreach was meant to assist people affected by the recent flood disaster that ravaged the senatorial zone.

He said over 1,000 children, women and men with varying degrees of ailments were treated at the temporary IDP camp, adding that those with severe cases were referred to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Azare for further investigation and treatment.

Speaking on behalf of other beneficiaries, a 70 year-old Awawu Umaru, who appreciated the state government for providing the temporary IDP camp, also expressed gratitude to the minister and NMA for the free medical treatment.

(NAN)