Hundreds, including 60 children, benefit from LEAH's free health care programme

It was a narrow escape for Madam Agbeke Idowu of Ajase Ipo in Irepodun Local Council of Kwara State.

Though only 45 years old, her blood pressure had shot up so dangerously that she could have developed other medical complications or even died.

But, luckily, she did not.

Also as lucky, is 53-year-old Hajia Sufiat Mohammed of Isale Koto whose blood sugar level had risen.

She was diabetic and did not know.

For Yisa Abubakar, only 31 years of age, total blindness would only have been a matter of time because of the cataracts in his two eyes.

Along with Idowu and Mohammed, Abubakar and hundreds of others were saved serious health challenges, that would have resulted to death, if they had not taken advantage of the Clinic-on-Wheels free health care programme facilitated by the wife of the Governor of Kwara State, Mrs Omolewa Ahmed under her Life Empowered Anchors Hope (LEAH) project.

Speaking on Monday at Ajase Ipo, in Irepodun during the commencement of the free health programme for the people of Kwara South Senatorial District, Ahmed said good quality health care was the veritable gauge to measure the success or otherwise of the nation's democracy.

She promised people of the state, especially those at the grassroots virile primary health care, through LEAH.

The ongoing one-week health care service in Kwara South is expected to cover the seven councils of Isin, Ifelodun, Irepodun, Offa, Ekiti, Oke Ero and Oyun.

So far, the most frequent ailments handled at the level of diagnoses and prognoses include: flu, malaria, high blood pressure, minor eye problems, test for sugar level, health counseling tips and gastro enteritis-related cases.

The medical team including doctors, pharmacists and nurses prescribed and dispensed drugs as well as free eyeglasses.

According to Mrs. Ahmed, "The Clinic-on-Wheels programme was borne out of the desire to take health care to the door-steps of the masses in line with the policy thrust of the Kwara State government.

"This is to provide effective, qualitative and affordable healthcare to its entire citizen.

"In view of the alarming rate of malaria, diabetes, blindness and hypertension in our state, we have partnered with Kwara State Ministry of Health and several local and international organisations to achieve our aims. "These are to eradicate malaria by 2015, meet the Vision 2020 target of eliminating avoidable blindness and facilitate community screening for disease such as malaria, diabetes and hypertension."

She also canvassed for more support from private as well as corporate groups since good quality health care was not cheap.

Speaking at the event attended by traditional rulers, the Chairman of Irepodun Local Council of the state, Mrs. Bashirat Mohammed commended the wife of the governor for "her contributions to the growth of our people especially in the area of health.

"She has brought free health services to our people in Kwara South Senatorial District.

The Administrator of LEAH Charity Foundation, Mrs. Bukola Akinleye, said: " The Clinic-on-Wheel programme is about taking health care to the grassroots. We have been to Kwara North in Baruten and Central in Ilorin, now it is the turn of Kwara South.

"In malaria and other cases such as eye matters, cases, we test and treat to the level that can be treated on site.

"But if it is a major problem like cataract, we refer them to Sobi Specialist Hospital, Ilorin at the expense of the foundation.

"For those with hypertension, we give them drugs, and our health inspectors counsel them on the pros and cons of the ailment, with a view to referring them for more treatment by the specialists.

"In Baruten, we had more cases of diarrhea in children and gave more Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) and also found malaria very rampant.

"I also acknowledge that donor agencies such as Family Health International and others have supported us as well as pharmaceutical firms such as Tuyil in Ilorin and Global Drugs in Lagos who share in our vision and passion.

In this exercise, we are targeting 60 children and 40 adults for cataract operations and about 800 others to benefit here in Kwara South."