Association offers free medical services to IDP’s in Plateau
The National Association of Seadogs (NAS), Pyrate Confraternity, has carried out a free medical outreach for Internally displaced persons (IDP) in Riyom, Jos South Local Council Area of Plateau.
The outreach which took place on Sunday in Jos was part of activities scheduled to mark the 70th year anniversary of the Association tagged “Weekend of Service to humanity”
The Voice Media Trust (VMT NEWS) reports that NAS is a Nigerian charitable and humanitarian organisation and is also the registered name for the group known as the PYRATES CONFRATERNITY established in 1952.
VMT NEWS also reports that some of the health challenges treated ranged from diabetes, hypertension, typhoid/malaria while severe cases of diseases were referred to hospitals for further treatments.
Dr Jones Okoye, The Chairman of the Plateau Chapter of the Association, said wherever the community of man needs a helping hand, the Pyrate ensures that they are there.
He added that the essence of the outreach in Riyom was to bring relief to the indigent members of the society, such as the IDP’s.
“What we want to do here today is to bring enlightenment as well as treat minor health challenges, you see this people, and they may have one ailment or the other.
”Even if they don’t have, we will bring the awareness of some of these diseases to them so that they can guard against it.
“There are common diseases like tuberculosis, that they may not know how they can avoid it.
”There are also people who are managing diabetes, we will talk to them and if it is something we cannot handle, we will refer them to hospital.
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“The doctors here are from the teaching hospitals, they are consultants. So, anybody they give referral to here will be attended to in any hospital.
“So whatever we can do for them immediately we will do and what we cannot do we will follow it up,” he said.
Similarly Dr Ben Egbo, Consultant Radiologist, Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) and Member, said healthcare indices in the country are very poor, hence government needs to step up on equipping the sector and training personnel.
“The basic thing is that the healthcare indices are very poor, a lot of people are seeking health but they cannot afford it.
“People are looking for the health but they cannot even get it due to shortage of manpower, shortage of drugs, and facilities.
“So my advice to the government is that they should invest more in the healthcare system, they should train more health workers; nurses, doctors, and lab scientists.
”It is not only the doctor that does the job, it’s a teamwork. We need more doctors, more labs and more personnel.”
Egbo called on government to open more colleges of Nursing, Medicine and health technology in the State, saying it is not enough to build hospitals without the skilled personnel to occupy them.
Mr Samuel Datong, Vice Chairman Riyom Community Development Association, commended the group for the charitable act they are carrying out and prayed God to replenish their sources.
He added that such noble acts are rarely seen in the community hence the need for all members to partake of the opportunity and benefit from it and not just the IDPs.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Tabitha Danboyi, who said she had been experiencing intense stomach heat, thanked the team for bringing relief to the community.
She said she had been tested, given drugs and referred to a hospital for further medical assistance.
