From Maiharaji Altine
The Zamfara State Government has commenced a special modified medical outreach programme aimed at addressing critical healthcare needs and improving the quality of life of the people.
The first phase of the medical outreach in collaboration with the office of the First Lady of Zamfara State, Hajiya Huriyya Dauda Lawal is set to provide free medical services to people of the state.
The first set of patients to benefit from the program are those with cases that required cataract extraction, groin swellings (hernias, hydroceles), vesicovaginal fistula repairs (VVF), and health education.
A statement by the Spokesperson to the Governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris, on Sunday, stated that the modified medical outreach which kickstarted last Friday has treated 81 cases of eye cataracts and 49 cases of groin swellings.
Suleiman added that the special outreach is designed to cover monthly 1,000 patients with groin swellings, 200 vesicovaginal fistula repairs (VVF), and 1, 000 patients with eye cataracts.
He said, “The Zamfara State Government set up a committee of experts that conducted assessments of various service centers in the State to identify the most common surgical problems prevalent in the general population”.
“Based on its findings, the committee identified cataract extraction, groin swellings (hernias, hydroceles), vesicovaginal fistula repairs (VVF), and health education as the initial areas of intervention for the first year of the program”.
“This is the first of its kind in the history of Zamfara, that the State Government is engaging in a free medical outreach that covers such critical areas”.
“The ongoing outreach utilizes tele-screening for patients from rural and semi-urban areas to provide specialist care to the needy”.
“A strategy has been adopted to allow patients to be screened remotely and receive treatment at designated treatment centers in Gusau”.
According to Idris, the committee has already visited the Drugs and Medical Consumables Management Agency (DMCMA) in Gusau and has confidence in its ability to provide the necessary supplies for the outreach program.
Idris stated that the Governor has widened the scope of the programme to cover all the 14 local government areas of the State.
The centers for the outreach according to Idris are; General Hospital Gusau, King Fahad General Hospital, and Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital.
He however explained that “All special cases would be referred to the Federal Medical Centre in Gusau.”
