An Islamic organization in Nigeria, the Nasrul-lahi-L-Fathi-Society (NASFAT), Birnin Kebbi branch, offered free medical services to over 500 indigent people of Birnin-Kebbi, the Kebbi State Capital earlier this week.
Speaking with newsmen during the exercise, the Kebbi branch Chairman of NASFAT, Alhaji Isma’il Suleiman, explained that the purpose of the initiative was to assist people, especially the downtrodden, who could not afford medical expenses due to the current economic hardships.
He listed the services provided, including Body Mass Index (BMI) checks, blood pressure (BP) checks, blood sugar level tests, malaria checks, free medical consultations, medications for common illnesses, as well as counseling and awareness talks on hard drugs and mental health.
Encouraging people to take advantage of the program, the chairman stated that it was meant to address the common health needs of people in Birnin Kebbi.
Tracing the history of NASFAT back to 1995, Suleiman mentioned that the organization’s core values are encapsulated in the acronym HELD, representing Health, Education, Livelihood, and Da’awah.
He explained, “Until you are healthy, you cannot contribute to society, achieve your goals, or objectives. That’s why health is a focus in NASFAT. On education, they say whoever is not informed is in darkness. Education is the key, power, and light. In view of this, we focus on education as well.”
“On livelihood, which involves empowerment, we empower many people, teaching them different trades and skills. We want people to be self-reliant and able to provide for themselves and their families,” he added.
Regarding Da’awah, he emphasized that being on Earth’s purpose is to serve Allah (SWT). He stressed the need for good health, education, and empowerment to successfully carry out Da’awah and gain rewards in the hereafter.
“We offer these services to the people of Birnin Kebbi because, given the present economic predicaments, people can barely feed themselves, let alone go to the hospital for medication. There is no doubt that people are suffering from different illnesses,” he concluded.
Hajiya Maryam Bature, the Women Leader of the organization, expressed satisfaction with the high turnout of women for the exercise, beyond expectations. She thanked Almighty Allah for the smooth execution of the initiative and prayed for more strength to do similar activities in the future.
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In response to the intervention, beneficiaries Hajiya Hussaina Haruna-Rasheed and Malam Bello Leki appreciated NASFAT, describing it as a special intervention from God. They noted that the outreach not only reduced their expenses but also lessened the stress and distance they would have covered to seek medication. They appealed for the continuation of such gestures either bi-annually or annually.
