To improve good health, the New Black Movement (NBM), Owerri Zone, has given free medical examination to lessprivileged persons in Imo State.
The One Day free health examination was focused on Sugar Level, Blood Pressure Control, HIV Test and Counselling, Hepatitis B Test and other ways to live healthy.
The exercise which also featured Special Walk for Life Exercise, was held at Owerri Municipal Council Secretariat Complex, on Saturday.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Medical Consultant and Director of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Imo State, Dr. Austin Chidiebere Okeji, hinted that the essence of the program was to provide an opportunity for the people to do health screening aimed at knowing their health status.
Okeji who added that the activity has the purpose of finding out health status of the people and giving them relevant advice, stated that NBM ensured that they are directed properly based on the medical findings, saying drugs can only be given to those who are in very acute phase, assuring that the medical outreach is going to be sustained and advanced.
He said some people are very ignorant of their poor health due to poverty. “Some times, our people assume they are healthy, but that is just a theory. In practical, many of them are not healthy. Because there are those here we found out already have hypertension, but they did not know and you know about the sudden death syndrome that is happening now where upon you see even young men and women slumping and dying. Some times, when you come out to certain occasions where you see people exposed to having opportunity to eat, they did not even know the state of their body and they take everything they see even those who have sugar would even be taking minerals because they are given free of charge”, he pointed out.
Okeji said NBM founder feels for those who have poor health condition, but are ignorant of it due to lack of exposure, direction and finance, a challenge he decided reduce by working with government. “We also let the people know of government facilities in their domain which they have not been using. We want to open their eyes because the health seeking behavior of our people is very poor”.
The medic who observed that NBM is based on equity, equality and social justice, having presence across the nation with global reach and is fully registered with Corporate Affairs Commission, remarked that as part of NBM social responsibility, it partnered with Government of Imo State to ensure the achievement of good health for the citizens.
Okeji posited that “Governor Hope Uzodimma is doing well already in the health sector and in appreciation of what the Governor is doing in the health sector, this organization decided to partner government to ensure that what it is intending to do is achieved. The medical outreach is open to all Imolites. This activity is in line with the organization’s yearly celebration”.
In his word, the host of the program, President of NBM and SA to the Governor on Rubber Estate (Government Facilities and Properties), Hon. Ordu Anthony Chidi (Madoka), said he was moved by the health challenges of some persons in the state hence he initiated the Free Health Examination to assist the state government to ensure that the people live healthy at all times to promote economic prosperity and social development.
Commending Madoka for initiating the free medical outreach in the state, Engr. Ofoegbu Raphael Ugochukwu, mentioned that the feat is geared to impact positively on health status of the people especially those who cannot afford health services.
However, one of the beneficiaries from Obowo LGA who resides in Owerri, Ijeoma Moses, said she was happy of the free medical outreach and prayed that God sustains the organisers of the program.
