By Patrick Ochei
The Hope For Now International, a non profit making organisation based in the United States of America has planned a 2-day medical outreach, specifically for people living with disabilities in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State.
The health programme which will run between Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th March, 2022, will feature medical consultation, health talk on common ailments and dietary counselling, laboratory assay (blood sugar, hepatitis B screening, etc), dental screening and surgeries, eye screening and dispensing of eye lenses, physiotherapy and counselling and drug distribution.
The health services will be provided by the Hope For Now International with support from Anioma Medical Professionals Forum – a team of reputable medical personnel in various specialties of the health sector.
The programme is expected to commence 9am daily at the Issele-Uku Primary Health Centre by the Afor Market with persons living with disabilities expected to come from the 17 other communities of the Local Government Council.
Speaking to Anioma Trust Editor in Asaba, the President/CEO of the Hope For Now International, Dr. Igwebuike Michael Nwaesei revealed that this was a programme he had planned in the past one year.
Talking about the choice of people living with disabilities as beneficiaries of the healthcare services, he said he discovered that most often, this set of persons are isolated from benefitting from programmes of public interest such as this, because people don’t want to associate with them or possibly give them the opportunity of first to benefit considerations.
According to him, “People with disabilities are a marginalised group in the society. There is no policy deliberately made for them. They are hardly loved and shown human affection.
“I have been a humanitarian person and that is what keeps me going with so much effort to affect lives positively. Both in the US and here in Nigeria, I have done quite a lot of programmes to give hope to the hopeless.
“However, this is my first attempt to give back to my local government area – Aniocha North. And all along while formulating and planning this programme, what usually came to my mind is healthcare delivery to persons living with disabilities.
“It’s not going to be the usual medical mission where patients are just examined, given drugs or surgeries performed on those needing surgical attention. We are going to care for them, show them love and prove to them they are humans.
“My intention is to give them quality life; their dignity in life is what matters. We will give them the best of treatment in medical form and charity. This is the type of medical mission I believe in and have decided to bring back home to replicate in Aniocha North LGA.
“We are fully prepared to also feed all the physically challenged persons that will participate. We are going to work on four clusters of disabilities – the deaf and dumb, the blind, the spinal cord injury and other areas of orthopaedic attention making up the clusters.
“Above all in all these efforts to change the narratives of the less privileged in our society through the instrumentality of the Hope For Now International, we are committed to building a Hope Centre which will become a rallying home for people with needs of different kinds.
“The positive attitude of humanity is what we want to exemplify. We will do our best, me and my wife and as many that will want to join this mission and project to contribute our quota in changing our society for good”, the US based Nwaesei posited.
Meanwhile, the vision of Hope For Now International is equally opened for suports, partnerships or sponsorships in any capacity. A lot had already gone into the project in procuring drugs and even wheelchairs. The Foundation can be reached through its CEO or the President of Anioma Medical Professionals Forum.
