The Igbologun Medical Centre (IMC), the only private clinic serving informal communities in Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State, has organized a medical outreach including free treatment and free surgeries for residents of communities in the LGA.
The one-week medical outreach organized in commemoration of IMC’s 10th anniversary held in Snake Island and provided opportunities for the urban-rural dwellers to access free and quality healthcare services.
While speaking at the opening session of the health outreach, the founder of IMC, Dr. Shodipo Gbolohan Oluremi, popularly known as Dr. Creek, because his hospitals are located in the creek, explained that the outreach was initiated as part of the need to provide health support for people living in the riverine communities who barely have access to free health services.
Explaining the plights of the people, Dr. Creek said “the people are ignorant, poor and left without good medical service that could take care of their health situations. It is certain that with good and accessible hospitals in all the communities, it would discourage the use of herbal medications and in turn reduce maternal mortality because their health complications or issues would have been detected early.”
Buttressing the need for medical support in Snake Island, Dr. Creek confirmed that there were 25 patients already scheduled for surgeries; Hernia, Fibroid, and Appendix.
He thereafter appealed that Non-Governmental Organizations and Government institutions enhance health care access in the communities by supporting medical doctors, and setting up hospitals to cater to the health needs of all the communities on the Island.
“Government has to come to partner in a way, it will encourage good hands to stay in the Creek and the only way to do that is that there must be good structure on ground, there should be government presence which we don’t have at all, there should be access to a special fund for young doctors that want to stay in this hard to reach areas so that they can be motivated,” Dr. Creek added.
Mr. Salarudeen Shina whose 2-year-old child, Fausia has been scheduled to undergo free hernia surgery, commended the initiative, noting that he couldn’t afford 25,000 naira to pay for the surgery for his daughter.
Another beneficiary of the free medical outreach, Faith Akindele who attended the medical outreach with her children also noted that IMC has helped members of the community to have access to healthcare services, without which would have been disastrous.
The Baale of Igboeseyore, Saheed Ishola Kekereogun who commended the support that IMC has been providing to the community members with regard to healthcare urged the government to remember the communities on the island base on their urgent health needs.
One of the partners of the outreach, Chief Executive of AICS Nigeria, a media and public communication company, Mr. Kingsley Nwuwanze also urged the government and private sector to provide medical support to the people in the hard-to-reach areas because they suffer health care deficiency.
“We know, how the economy is, we are hoping that in the midst of this challenge, government and some private institutions come to help these people,” Nwuwanze added.
IMC is the only private medical outfit with two hospitals that serve communities in Igbologun, Igboeseyore, Igboesu Tomaran, Itoago, Sagbokodji, etc. IMC is also proposing to set up hospitals that would serve people in Ibese, Ibasa, and neighbouring communities.
