21st September, 2016
No fewer than 3,000 people have benefitted from the free medical services provided by the Nigerian Army at the sidelines of the ongoing Chief of Army Staff quarterly Conference in Makurdi.
The services provided during the exercise were; free consultation and counseling, general check-up, blood tests and blood pressure measurement.
Others were; ear examination and treatment, eye test and treatment, free prescription glasses, dental examination and treatment, and de-worming of children.
Speaking with newsmen at one of the venues of the outreach in Makurdi, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai said the gesture was part of efforts to enhance civil-military relations.
Represented by Maj.-Gen. Patrick Akem, the Chief of Logistics and Planning, Buratai also said that the gesture was to complement government efforts in medical service delivery.
“This is to get closer to the people and demonstrate the fact that we are hired by Nigerians to defend Nigeria.
“So, we are here to extend a hand of fellowship to the people by providing them with medical care.
“It is part of the outreach designed to further cement our relations with the people we serve. Everywhere we go, we try to do this,’’ the chief of army staff said.
He described the outreach as a comprehensive package intended to give succour to the people.
Also speaking, Maj-Gen. Abimbola Amusu, the Corps Commander, Medical, said that those diagnosed with serious cases were referred either to military or public hospitals.
Amusu said that a lot of people, who came for the outreach were diagnosed with hypertension and other ailments.
NAN also reports that during the exercise free mosquito treated nets were distributed to pregnant women and women with children whose ages were below five.
Mrs Keme Ogwah, one of the beneficiaries with eye problem, thanked the army for the free medical service, saying that she had not been able to seek medical help until now for lack of money.
Mrs Joy Eze, Hannah Odey, Peace and Uzugwe, all pregnant women, who benefitted from the free distribution of mosquito net, also thanked the army for the gesture.
It will be recalled that the chief of staff, on Tuesday inaugurated the renovated broken down water treatment plant at the North bank of the river Benue as part of humanitarian service to the people.
Buratai had said the plant which is capable of supplying one million litres of water per day was to meet the water needs of barracks in the area and its immediate civilian community.