The Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas (ANPA) has kicked off a ten-day medical mission aimed at providing crucial healthcare services to residents of Abia state.
The President of the Association, Dr Chinyere Anyaogu, announced the commencement of the ANPA 2024 Free Medical Mission while briefing Journalists at Government House Umuahia.
Anyaogu, disclosed that the Free Medical Mission, in collaboration with the Abia Government encompasses not only medical outreach but also training programs for healthcare workers in the state.
She highlighted that the medical outreach, is a week of service delivery, capacity building and advocacy within the community adding that the outreach would include training programs such as the Helping Babies Survive Programme, aimed at reducing neonatal mortality, particularly infant asphyxia at birth.
According to her, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Basic Life Support Training, and Stop the Bleed Training would be conducted for the Initial Responders dealing with healthcare emergency cases.
She emphasized the importance of evidence-based practice and stated that training sessions would be held at separate locations throughout the state to ensure widespread participation and improved health care delivery standards.
“We hope to be able to achieve our goal and to create quality care for the numerous people who been registered all over the state within the various LGAs.
“This would enable people to get the care given not just by ANPA, but also by our numerous sponsors that are supporting to be able to have us perform this“, Anyaogu added.
The ANPA Mission Chair, Dr Dele Ekusanmi, said that ANPA had been conducting annual medical missions for more than 25 years and added that about 60 volunteer doctors from Abia state and more than a hundred from across Nigeria would be participating in this year’s mission offering surgical procedures, medical consultations, and telemedicine consultations for follow-up care.
In her remark, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Ngozi Okoronkwo disclosed that about 5,000 patients have been registered to benefit from the exercise.
Okoronkwo while noting the state government’s determination to partner with health stakeholders to enhance access to quality healthcare services, said government has allocated an estimated N200 million to support the initiative, with provisions made for additional expenses.
She assured that patients would receive comprehensive follow-up healthcare until full recovery, with new operating rooms set up to accommodate the influx of surgeons participating in the program.
