Over 100 Oyo residents benefit from free medical outreach

A medical expert attending to a beneficiary during the programme in Ibadan. Photo: Ademola Adegbite.

Kindly share this story:

Over 100 residents of Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, benefited from a free medical outreach organised by the Bakare Bridge Foundation on Saturday.

The outreach, held at Ibadan Christ Apostolic Grammar School, attracted residents from various parts of Ibadan South-East Local Government Area, who received free medical consultations, drugs, eye screening, and counselling.

Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Bakare Bridge Foundation, Nurudeen Bakare, said the initiative was designed to remove barriers preventing people from pursuing their life goals, particularly health-related challenges.

He explained that the foundation was created to serve as a “bridge” for people whose dreams were threatened by poverty, ill health, and lack of access to basic services.

“The idea behind the foundation is to look at people’s dreams. Anything that can disturb their dreams, we try to provide a bridge for them to cross over to a place where they can chase those dreams. We believe in the principle of ‘dare to dream, dare to achieve,’” he said.

He noted that many people were battling health challenges without knowing how to resolve them, adding that the foundation decided to bring medical services closer to the people.

“People are having health challenges, and they don’t know how to resolve them. That is why we decided to bring medical outreach close to the people. We are focusing on the aged population, as well as young people with peculiar health challenges,” he added.

The outreach featured top-rated medical professionals who attended to beneficiaries by listening to their complaints, offering counselling, prescribing drugs, and, where necessary, referring complicated cases for further treatment.

“We are targeting about 1,000 people in this outreach. We are attending to people with eye problems, high blood pressure, and diabetes-related issues. The professionals are counselling them and letting them know they don’t need to feel ashamed about their health conditions,” he said.

Bakare added that beneficiaries were given free drugs and other medical support, stressing that the outreach was organised once every six months across different local government areas.

“We have been moving from one local government to another. This time, we are in Ibadan South-East. Registration is completely free, from consultation to drugs and everything the beneficiaries need. If we see any complex cases, we guide them appropriately,” he said.

Beyond healthcare, Bakare disclosed that the foundation was also involved in education and mentorship programmes, particularly for vulnerable children.

“We do projects in education. We go to communities where children have lost their fathers. Recently, we produced a first-class graduate in Statistics during the last convocation. We do class-to-class support and mentorship, and I also bring my friends in the industry to talk to and inspire the children,” he said.

One of the beneficiaries, a 70-year-old retired driver, Bello Ahmed, said he had been experiencing eye problems for over two years before the outreach.

“I have been having eye challenges for about two years now. The treatment I received here is good, and I’m impressed. I was even given glasses to use. My advice to people is that they should go for medical check-ups and stop self-medication,” Ahmed said.

Also speaking, Hafsat Olaide, who said she was over 60 years old, disclosed that she had been struggling with eye issues for two years.

“I have been buying drugs for my eyes for about two years. I’m so happy and grateful for this opportunity given to us by this foundation,” she said.

Another beneficiary, Ramota Raji, said he had been using local remedies to treat his eye problem before learning about the outreach.

“I have been having issues with my eye for about a year now. I didn’t go to the hospital, and I was using yeast. When I heard about this programme, I came, and I’m happy with the process. We are being well attended to,” he said.

A Chief Nursing Officer at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Akinwale Omolara, who participated in the outreach, commended the organisers for giving back to the community.

“This exercise is a very good one. It is nice to see individuals and organisations giving back to society. These are the kinds of things we should all be doing. Everyone should be a philanthropist.”

She urged the government to strengthen the healthcare system, noting that many people were dying silently due to a lack of access to medical care.

“My message to the government is to strive to do more. Many people cannot afford hospital care, and some cannot even buy drugs or basic medication like paracetamol. Government should equip the health system, fund it properly, and encourage health workers, while also supporting individuals and organisations that are helping the people,” Omolara added.

Kindly share this story:

All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.

Contact: [email protected]

UPDATE NEWS: Nigerians can now invest ₦2.5million on premium domains and profit about ₦17-₦25Million. All earnings paid in US Dollars. Rather than wonder, 👉 click here to find out how it work (Be sure to ask for evidence of clients that have benefitted from this)

Stay informed and ahead of the curve! Follow The Punch Newspaper on WhatsApp for real-time updates, breaking news, and exclusive content. Don't miss a headline – join now!

Stay in the know—fast. Get instant alerts, breaking headlines, and exclusive stories with the Punch News App. Download now and never miss a beat.