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Ogbakor Ikwerre USA/Canada, (OIUSA/Canada) Inc., completed a successful Medical/Surgical mission in Nigeria from October 9th to 13th, 2023. The location of the medical/surgical mission was in Emuoha Local Government Area, one of the many rural areas that is in Rivers State, Nigeria. Patient’s care and treatment were carried out within the Council Headquarters which had a health care facility that was utilized.
Ogbakor Ikwerre USA/Canada, Inc., in collaboration with various health-providing teams, treated different ailments, including diabetes, arthritis, malaria, typhoid fever, high blood pressure, as well as bacterial infections. The five-day program recorded 3,824 cases of malaria and typhoid; 2,673 cases with uncontrolled hypertension; 105 obese cases; 9 congestive heart failure cases, 72 palpitation cases; 2,091 diabetic cases, 2, 914 asthmatic cases; 502 pneumonia cases; 35 arthritis cases, 1,067 ulcer cases, 1,209 fibroid cases, etc. Overall, the Mission treated 5,802 patients in five days, including 718 pediatric patients, and about 5, 084 adult and geriatric patients. About one thousand, two hundred and forty-six (1,246) eye patients were attended to, four hundred and ninety-two (492) eyeglasses were distributed, thirty-seven (37) cataracts surgeries, thirteen (13) pterygium procedures, fifty-nine (59) dental surgeries, and fifty-seven (57) general surgeries. The female patients were twice as many as the men, 67% versus 33%. Of the women, 56% were adults, while almost 70% of the men were geriatric population. About half of the patients were older than 40, while 32% were under eighteen.
The highlights of the medical/surgical mission were: an impromptu delivery of a baby girl through C-section by our surgical team; the removal of a lipoma on a 66 years old female that she had carried for 27 years; and the removal of a hernia from a 19 years old male that he developed at the age of 16 years, paving the way for him to continue his education with money saved. Other services that were rendered during the medical/surgical mission included cervical cancer screening, breast cancer screening, general consultancy, and free medications.
Speaking of the impact of the medical outreach, the President of Ogbakor Ikwerre USA/Canada, Mr. Patrick Anyawoke, said the Medical and Surgical Mission was necessitated by the need to provide medical care to those who don’t have the resources to seek medical help. He said this is the program’s second edition, held biennially. He called on well-meaning individuals to commit to providing health assistance to needy people, pointing out that people’s healthcare needs were increasing. Continuing, Mr. Anyawoke concluded, “Ogbakor Ikwerre USA/Canada is very much committed to this so that we can collaborate with our government, we can collaborate with anyone who cares to ensure that we can deliver on the healthcare needs of our people.”
Ogbakor Ikwerre USA/Canada would like to extend a big thank you to all our members and donors. Without your generosity and unwavering support, we would not have been able to extend a helping hand to 5,802 individuals suffering from various ailments during the OIUSA-Canada 5-Day Free Medical and Surgical Mission.
As we plan for the next OIUSA/Canada, Inc.’s medical/surgical mission to Iwhuruohna land, scheduled for the week of March 10 to March 14, 2025, in Obio/Akpor local government area, Rivers State, Nigeria, we cannot but continue to count on the support of GlobalGiving, well-meaning individuals, government, and NGO, to make our next medical/surgical mission in 2025 a success. The goal of the 2025 MM is to reach a target of 8,000 patients or more. The 2025 free Medical/Surgical Mission is estimated to cost about $50,000 (fifty thousand dollars) or more, depending on inflationary trends.
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