By Godspower Eguasa
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has lauded volunteers that are based in the country for stepping out of their comfort zone to support the free medical mission that was organized by the Edo State Government in partnership with the Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas (ANPA) to save the lives of citizens.
The Governor who gave the commendation at a Dinner organized for local volunteers at Edo Hotel, Benin City, on Sunday May 15, 2022, described the support of the volunteers as amazing and selfless.
The volunteers include medical doctors, medical and non-medical volunteers.
Obaseki said: “The impression seems to be given that anything that has to do with Government is all about money, but you have helped me change that notion that we are still human beings at the end of the day that care for one another.
“The spirit of volunteering which I thought had disappeared from us; I can see it’s still very much alive. For what we spent as a Government, the value we received from you and our brothers abroad in investment terms, we would say these are just extraordinary returns, what we got back in terms of value from this mission which has been supported by you is a hundred times what we put in as Government.”
He added that no amount of money would be enough to express gratitude to the volunteers, adding, “People said at the end of the mission, how do you say thank you to these volunteers, oh you should send them money, and I said that this negates the spirit.
“How much can we pay you for those two weeks you took out to just be there for those patients, those children that came in almost helpless? Cash alone cannot pay you, that’s why I said let us have this evening and express from our hearts, the gratitude we feel.
“So it was an amazing collaboration between local practitioners and their professional colleagues from abroad and an amazing collaboration between Federal Agencies and State and Local Government Agencies, wonderful collaboration between clinical personnel and non-clinical personnel.
“So it was an example of collaboration, and people worked from the heart, they were not thinking about what they can get and who was more important and who was more superior in terms of the services being provided.”
He further said: “The other point which came out of this mission which I am so grateful for is the point I have been trying to make that health care is not about fancy hospitals, it’s not about sophisticated equipment alone, health care is about people, it’s about the quality of training and professionalism of the people that administer health care services, and we could see it from our brothers and sister in the Diasporas.
“They used what they met here, they did not bring the sophisticated equipment they are used to working with abroad, and see what they accomplished working with you at home.
“And so many of you this evening who have come to support us and to join us to appreciate the amazing, selfless volunteers in Nigeria who have made this medical mission history.
“So tonight is a night to just express gratitude, we said thank you to our brothers who came from the Americas but we didn’t want it to seem as if they alone made it happen, you were three times their numbers, without you, they would not have done what they did.
“What you all the maiden things that you have seen and heard tonight would not have happened and we just felt that tonight, we should come, call it together, share a meal with you and express our profound gratitude from the bottom of our hearts.
“We cannot centralize health care. We must have a clinic in every neighborhood, call it PHC, call it a clinic, call it whatever, in every ward and every neighborhood.
“You do not have to travel miles and seek health care and your medical practitioner must be close to you and have a personal relationship with you, that is what we are seeking to achieve and by the grace of God, before we leave office, we would make sure that every ward in Edo State have a Primary Health Centre.”
According to the Co-chairman, Local Organizing Committee (LOC) and Chief Medical Director (CMD), Edo Specialist Hospital, Dr. Sunday Adeoye, “150 surgical interventions occurred at Edo Specialist Hospital (ESH), 180 at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), nine VVF surgeries, 2500 free medicated eyeglasses were given. EDHIS were there to ensure continuous treatment for the indigent people who can’t afford healthcare.”
In her remark, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Obehi Akoria, said that the medical outreach changed the lives of the 5,000 people that made themselves available and accessed the program.
