Emmanuel kehinde,Ilorin
A call has gone to well meaning individuals, corporate bodies and governments to support the Ilorin Emirate Medical Group (IEMG) in assisting the needy to acquire quality health care delivery.
Dr. Abdulkadir Ola Ahmed, vice president of the association gave the plea while briefing some selected journalists on the stewards and challenges confronting IEMG.
According to him, the group was set up in 2016 with over 300 members from Ilorin Emirate who are medical doctors across globe, adding that they realised that it is not enough for them to consult, attend to patients and go away but rather, to give back to the society.
He says, “we feel that a lot of our people are still ignorant about their health and what it takes to receive good health care. That is why we look at how we can give back to society where we come from.
“We have our members in different states of Nigeria as well Europe, America, South Africa among others working from where they are to tender services to humanity.
“We usually engage in health education, sensitisation, medical and surgical intervention and as well groom members and encourage young generation to study Medicine and Nursing. Our members have done a lot of outreaches.
“In the last one year, we have attended to over one thousand people on different areas of health and medical supports. This has been done through self-funding.”
Dr. Ahmed, who promised the group will continue with what they are doing to ensure that people in the society who can not afford medical bills get treated, further stated that, ” we use this medium to call on well to do people in the society, corporate bodies and others to support us so that we can help the downtrodden in the community.
“A lot of people are there with health conditions that can not even afford to go to hospital with N500. So bad to the extent that some patients will just come to the hospital with only their cards and to buy drugs for ordinary malaria becomes problem. These are the people we do assist.”
Also speaking, Dr. Adana Nurudeen Sulaiman of Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency and assistant secretary of IEMG. informed that she takes advocacy to radio stations (Harmony FM) for proper and efficient sensitisation so that people get to know how to prevent themselves from ailments.
“Prevention is better than cure and that is why we educate and enlighten our people every week and we are touching lives through intervention,” he said.
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