No fewer than seventy thousand people across eight Local Government Areas in Kaduna State are set to benefit from a free medical outreach organized by Mr. Amos Gwamna Magaji, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Health Services.
The benefiting Local Government Areas include Kagarko, Jema’a, Kachia, Jaba, Zango Kataf, Kauru, Sanga, and Kaura.
During an inspection of the exercise, which commenced at selected Primary Health Care Centres in the eight Local Government Areas, Mr. Magaji, who also represents the Zango Kataf/Jaba Federal Constituency, stated that beneficiaries would undergo free HIV screening, laboratory tests, and treatment for Hepatitis B and C, malaria, diabetes, hypertension, as well as surgical conditions such as hernia, lipoma, hydrocele, and appendicitis.
Other services, it was gathered, include refraction, the issuance of medical glasses, and cataract extractions.
He explained that the initiative, organized in collaboration with the Primary Health Care Development Agency, aims to alleviate the health challenges faced by vulnerable populations in rural areas due to the ongoing economic crisis and the high cost of drugs and medical supplies.
During the occasion, Mr. Magaji also informed the people that his bill for the establishment of a Federal Medical Centre in Kafanchan had passed third reading in the House of Representatives and has been sent to the Senate for concurrence.
The lawmaker further revealed that the Kaduna State Government had already handed over the Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa Memorial Hospital in Kafanchan to the Federal Government to facilitate the smooth take-off of the centre, which is expected to be included in the 2025 Federal Budget.
In his remarks, Ibrahim Mohammed, the leader of the medical team conducting the exercise, noted that the five-day outreach is being carried out in phases and includes advocacy, screenings, medication distribution, the issuance of medical glasses, and surgeries.
He assured that sufficient drugs and medical supplies had been provided to cater to over one hundred thousand people across the eight centres in Kaduna State.
Some of the beneficiaries, including the Agwom Kachia, HRH Zamani Dogonyaro, expressed gratitude in interviews with Salama News.
They commended the lawmaker for facilitating the free medical outreach, which they said had significantly reduced the challenges of accessing treatment after being diagnosed with various ailments.
