Over 1000 residents of Kado community in the Life Camp area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja were on Saturday screened and treated of different tropical diseases, among others, free of charge.
Specifically, the residents received treatment for malaria, typhoid, peptic ulcer, urinary tract infections, hypertension, diabetes, skin diseases, treatment and vaccination for Hepatitis B and C infections, as well as pelvic inflammatory diseases.
The gesture was part of the medical outreach organised by Teen Ambassador Foundation (TAF), a non-governmental organisation as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Medical personnel including doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists and pharmacists were on hand to render services to the densely populated suburb of Abuja.
One of those who benefited was a child with down syndrome whose mother, Chinyere Donatus, expressed gratitude to the Foundation.
Mrs Donatus said she had sought basic medical help from many health facilities but could not get it for lack of funds, stressing that the Foundation has provided succour for her.
In his remarks to flag-off the outreach, the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, Mr Paul Adiwu, said his passion to assist the poor and needy was the motivation for the exercise.
He said it was the the second of such intervention by the organization, adding that the gesture will be taken to the 36 states of the federation.
He said, “I am doing this out of community service and not out of any political gain. I am from Plateau State and not FCT, so this is purely my own way of giving back to the society.
“I know my origin and I think when you remember where one is coming from, you don’t have a choice but to complement government efforts in things like these.
“We want to have these outreaches across the Federation. So, we are having one location per state. The first one was in Nasarawa and it was a success.
“This time around we came up with vaccination for hepatitis. We are trying to improve on what we are doing. Every community is in need and you cannot be everywhere at the same time but we would continue to do our best and continue improving every time.
“The mission of Teen Ambassadors Foundation is to work on areas that are related to the sustainable development goals and health and wellbeing is part of that.
“We also support child education and provide scholarships. We want to educate the teenagers and catch them young.”
Similarly, the Village Head of Kado, Chief Danlami Audu, expressed his appreciation to the Foundation, calling on all public spirited individuals to also embrace humanitarian services.
Also, the National Coordinator of the Peace Corps, Dr. Dickson Akor, also commended the Foundation for the exercise.
“I am here to represent the Peace Corps of Nigeria to show solidarity and support for the good work Mr Adiwu is doing. He is not a legislator but a civil servant servant and has decided that with what God has given to him he should invest it for the service of humanity. This is what life is all about. I appreciate him for the good work. You can see the smiles on the faces of everybody here. He deserves to be supported. It is commendable and should be emulated,” he said.
On his part, the Commissioner representing the FCT in the Public Complaints Commission (PCC), Hon. Dalhatu Musa, commended the Foundation for helping the needy and the vulnerable, adding that government alone cannot satisfy the medical needs of the masses.
“In the PCC we receive a lot of complaints that have to do with deficit in health infrastructure. We thank TAF for this gesture which would help to address such issues. We will continue to partner with the organisation and ensure the support is timely in a manner that would be accommodating to all,” he said.
On his part, the incoming President of the Abuja Metropolitan Lions Club, Lion Ladi Aliyu-Okojie, commended the organisation for the medical outreach.
She pledged the support and continued partnership of the Lions Club with the Foundation to promote the wellbeing of the people.
