17th March, 2018
Five thousand people from Wukari, Taraba State, turned out on Saturday to benefit from a free medical outreach organised by 23 Brigade of the Nigeria Army, Yola.
The medical outreach, according to Dr. Olayinka Ojo, Commanding Officer, 23 Brigade Medical Centre, Yola is part of the efforts by the Nigerian Army to strengthen the civil-military relations in their current operational base in Wukari.
The East Primary School, Wukari, venue of the exercise, was filled up with people who came in as early as 6 a.m.
Ojo said services covered by the outreach included ultrasound, gynaecological checks, dental treatments and checks on the eyes.
Others included laboratory services, X-ray, deworming, among others.
He said that the turnout was overwhelming, but added that the outreach team was fully equipped with drugs and services that would be enough to meet the needs of all patients.
“If we cannot complete attending to them today (Saturday), we can extend the service to Sunday,’’ he said.
Dr. Kamah Humphrey, who represented the Taraba Chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), said that the medical association was “very excited and impressed with the medical services of the army in Wukari”.
He said that the exercise would touch the lives of the common man and lauded the army for the quality of drugs and medical services.
Humphrey urged other governmental and non-governmental organizations to emulate the army in reaching out to the poor.
Malam Haruna Tanko, 74, who appreciated the service rendered to him, said that he had received drugs that would last more than one month.
“Instead of spending about N5,000 to obtain drugs that will not have lasted more than one week, the military outreach has given me drugs that will last for more than one month,” he said.
He thanked the soldiers for the services, and urged them to continue to visit rural areas to attend to the health needs of the people.
Brig. Gen. Bello Mohammed, the Brigade Commander of the 23 Brigade, Yola was in Wukari to supervise the exercise.