As part of its community service, The Clem Agba Foundation (TCAF), on Friday, last week, organised a one-day Medical outreach in the university town of Ekpoma and the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) in Edo state that targeted not fewer than 1000 people, in commemoration of this year’s World Hepatitis Day with the theme, “One life, One liver”.
The university community and health workers in the teaching hospital were full of commendation for the Foundation, its partners and its volunteers for embarking on the service to humanity as part of its community service to the people.
The Foundation spokesperson at the event, Dr Ephraim Ogbaini-Emovon, who is also a clinical virologist and microbiologist, said that the gesture would significantly address the lack of awareness about the ravaging effect of hepatitis in the area and the state.
At the courtesy visit to the Acting Chief Medical Director of the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital before the commencement of the programme, he said, “I would like to appreciate the coming of this programme into our area because this is the first time I will be seeing this type of intervention in this environment with this kind of life-saving programme.”
He stated that the targeted 1,000 persons who will benefit from the one-day outreach will be sensitized and enlightened about hepatitis, screened for hepatitis B and C and subsequently vaccinated at no cost by the foundation.
He emphasized that the exercise was part of The Clem Agba Foundation’s humanitarian services, adding that the exercise had been a regular one since 2014 when the foundation was established and had held similar exercises in Auchi, Igarra, Benin City, Lagos and Delta States.
The Acting Chief Medical Director of the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Prof. Reuben Efeidiyi described the programme as vital.
He said the exercise was not only beneficial to staff members of the hospital who were at risk of the disease by virtue of their being health workers exposed to the virus, but also for the university community where it would be difficult for the students to afford the cost of the vaccine.
While acknowledging contributions of the collaborating NGSs towards improving awareness about hepatitis, Efeidiyi urged them to sustain the programme.
Also speaking, Dr Philip Ugbodaga, the head of the volunteer team said that hundreds of people at both the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital and students and staff members of the Edo state-owed Ambrose Alli University were successfully vaccinated during the exercise, noting that the second and third doses of the hepatitis B vaccine would also be given to them at no cost and that the programme would be extended to other areas of the state and the country in due course.
He, however, advocated continuous sensitization and enlightenment campaign about hepatitis by the government and nonprofit organizations to check the scourge of the disease.
Some of the beneficiaries who were mostly students and staff members of the teaching hospital expressed their happiness with the medical outreach, saying that it had really provided relief to them considering the very high cost of the vaccine at the moment.
The hepatitis awareness campaign and the free screening and vaccination was organized by The Clem Agba Foundation (TCAF) in collaboration with a Non-Governmental Organization, Cancer Advocacy Nigeria, the department of Community Medicine and the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, and the Students Union Government of the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma.
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