Nigerian Christian Doctors and Health Professionals have stressed the need to boost health care services in West African Countries. The health experts, under the aegis of Nigerian Christian Graduate Fellowship (NCGF) have promised to offer free medical services to Sierra Leonean citizens. They spoke over the weekend in Freetown, during a dinner hosted by the Nigerian High Commissioner, Ambassador Godson Echegile, to appreciate the self-less services of the international fellowship in the West African sub-region. The Nigerian envoy said ‘we feel highly elated by your invaluable services to humanity and Sierra Leone in particular. On behalf of Nigerian Government we say a big thank you for this onerous service. You have rendered this service without asking for money or reward and for this we are most grateful.’ According to him, the activities of NCGF are a true expression of the biblical injunctions ‘Love your neighbour as your self and do unto others as you would want them do unto you.’ He continued, ‘You have left your comfort zones to come and render selfless services voluntarily. The love that you have shown through your hospital and educational missions in Nigeria and abroad can only be rewarded by God and not by man or any Government.’ He appealed to the team to support medical training and services at College of Medical and Allied Health Services (COMAHS), Freetown and the Lunsar Catholic Hospital, Port Loko District.
The group arrived last week on a non-paid voluntary medical and Christian service to several Communities in the Country. Head of the delegation, Dr Godwin Uwaoma, stressed that ‘they came on the invitation of Sierra Leonean citizens to provide free treatment to patients.’ According to him, the 23-man team which includes 10 doctors, nurses, pharmacists and pastors from Nigeria and Ghana, spent about $ 4,000 on providing drugs, services and logistics to Sierra Leone, saying ‘we will come again.’ ‘We are currently working with New Life Hospital, Waterloo, Freetown, and we have treated hundreds of patients.
We are yet to handle surgical cases due to infrastructural challenges, particularly with regard to the equipments available.’ He said, ‘we are not too conversant with the equipments we met on ground, so this is a major constraint to us.
There is a huge demand for medical care in the Country but we have embarked on a feasibility study to enable us to come back again.
We hope to bring modern equipments and more drugs in subsequent missions to Sierra Leone ’ Throwing more light on the vision of the fellowship, Dr Uwaoma, who is also Medical Director at the Emmanuel Medical Center, Aba, Abia State, said, NCGF is an international faith-based graduate organization devoted to physical, intellectual and spiritual care and growth of members and society. ‘With our headquarters in Aba, our members include professionals from Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia and other countries committed to spiritual, physical and mental well-being of communities and societies.’
By Ophaniel Gooding
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