The Lagos State Government on Thursday said it would embark on a free medical mission in partnership with Healthcare Mission International for the treatment of children as well as screening and advocacy for adults on Friday.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Titilayo Goncalves at a news conference in Alausa said the treatments include dental care, orthopaedic treatment, visual/hearing impairments, surgeries and other common ailments.
Goncalves said the six-day exercise would take place in seven Primary HealthCare Centres, PHC, across the state, including Lagos Island, Surulere, Badagry, Alimosho, Epe, Ikeja and Ikorodu.
She said the exercise was part of the state government’s efforts to improve health care among residents and complement various programmes put in the place to promote healthy living among them, adding that the exercise was primarily targeted at children within the age bracket of 0 to 12 years.
Also, the Permanent Secretary, State Primary Health Board, Dr Tayo Lawal said about 1,000 people would be attended to on a daily basis, while about 21,000 people should have been attended to at the completion of the exercise.
Lawal said the project was also an avenue to create medical awareness among the residents while thanking Healthcare Mission International for the gesture.
Earlier, the Executive Director of Healthcare Mission International, Mrs Nike Osa said the effort was necessitated by its belief to assist the less privileged in area of medical challenges.
Osa said though children were the prime target of the programme, adults would be given health talks and screened for tuberculosis and HIV.
“Those found to be positive will be managed using the established channel of treatment of these illnesses,” she said.
According to her, the exercise was an innovative programme meant to help the children to be healthy and prepare them for their roles in the future as leaders.
