Health Services: Group Takes Outreach To Odoni Kingdom.

 

 A group known as Ijaw Women of America has taken their medical outreach to Odoni Community in Sagbama Local Government of Bayelsa State.

The medical outreach which was carried out for two days captured about eight hundred persons including the children.

 The outreach  took place during the week at Odoni Health Center saw many Illnesses   like Malaria, High Blood Pressure among other Illnesses discovered as a result of the environmental pollution in the Niger Delta Region and some drugs given.

 About six doctors, lots of  other  health care practitioners that came from US, about about ten nurses, pharmacists and turns of other volunteers according to the lead Doctor,  Seleipiri Iboroma Akubo  stating that in all they had about forty  of them seeing patients.

 Disclosing that everybody that came, all went home with medications, she said that their hope is that these patients should go back to the health care areas around hoping that government and organizations can help out adding that her organization can’t do it alone.

She said: “ A lot of the patients have come with various pathologies, we have seen Malaria,  High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, lots of Eye issues.  We also have an optician here who has been seeing them and giving them glasses.”

“We are doing what we can and our focus is on health education and the more people know about their health, the better they will handle it and manage it. We also talked about genetics because it is important to know that illnesses that run in families can also affect people.”

“We are trying to raise awareness about these illnesses and it is also imperative that we talk about the environmental impact of oil and what it does to our people. Our people are drinking water that has been affected and eating foods that have been affected so we are seeing other illnesses didn’t we  are not  supposed to see.”

“And we hope that somehow we can send the massage out so that other non- governmental organizations like us and even the government should do so much more. We need to give out proper health education out there, give people blood pressure machines and teach them how to use blood sugar achiness in their homes.”

Eunice Bratua Apreala the chairperson of the medical group and the founder of IWA, stated that  the group decided to come and give quality medical service to their  people back home “and you know that our Ijaw people are marginalized.”

 “So we feel that it is time to do our beat since we already have the experience and knowledge, we felt we should take the knowledge to our people here.”

 On the source of funding she disclosed that the group is a non –profit making organization adding that funds come from fund raising, “we don’t depend on the government to fund us. We used our personal money and some donations to fund this medical outreach.”

 Also speaking, His Royal highness Stephen Pere-Albert, Abubu III of Odoni Kingdom said that everybody was happy with people thanking them for giving medications to his people.

  He said;” It is a wonderful thing they are doing here and I believe that the health my people improve. I charge them to go on doing this good work and i  encourage other group to emulate what this group is doing.”

 

 Stating that Niger Delta is a peaceful place, he called on the oil companies   to  do more because of the environmental hazards that go with exploiting oil from the  region adding that  "some of these people that come here are sick because of the health hazards created by the environmental pollution caused by oil companies."

One of the beneficiaries of the medical outreach, Michael Engbi thanked the team for their show of kindness  adding that the treatment that was accorded to him was very wonderful.

 

 Also Regina Urowu who said she had malaria  thanked team amd was  for remembering Odoni Community  asking  that  God should bless them and  take them back home peacefully.

 

 The high point of the medical outreach was the conferment of  Cheiftancy titles  on some them by the Odoni Kingdom.

 Eunice Bratua Aprealla founder and president of the group was conferred with Ezon Ebe Benemoere while Deborah Dein Abbey, co-founder and current President IWA, got Ezon Ebi Douere and Timipa Omonibo Okorowanta, Vice President was confered with Ezon Ebe Tariere.