Jennifer Etu Foundation Provides Free Medical Care to 2500 Patients in Abia

•Urges FG to prioritize healthcare to citizens

Amby Uneze in Owerri

In keeping to the wish of late Mrs. Jennifer Ramatu Etu while alive that a foundation should be instituted after her name to provide free health care to the people of Nigeria, the Jennifer Etu Foundation has embarked on a five-day free medical programme in Amaokwe Item in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State.

The free medical outreach which started on Tuesday, September 30 – Saturday, October 4, 2025 is taking place at Umuenyere Alayi Health Centre is expected to provide total medical care to about 2500 patients from within and outside the area.

Speaking on the need for the medical outreach, the Programme Officer of the Foundation, Goodnews Adebayo Chike told THISDAY that the wish of the founder was to save lives of the people at no cost to them as well as hoping that with faith in God, their infirmities would be cured.

She noted it was also the wish of the founder of the foundation to reach out to the underserved with healthcare, adding that the five-day event would enable them treat their ailment such as surgery, laboratory, pharmacy, appendectomy, hypotony, cesarean section (CS), cataract surgery, dental care, etc.

The programme officer maintained that a team of volunteers made of doctors, nurses, counsellors and other medical professionals are involved in the medical outreach.

“On the medical outreach, the foundation collaborates with some partners such as Pro-health International, Jesus House International to execute this intervention. We usually have volunteers such as doctors, nurses and other health professionals.

“They are volunteers hence they are not paid for their time. For instance, how much would you pay Surgeon who work for 5 days; they leave early and close late. They are there to ensure that people’s lives are safe. This goes to show that there are still good people in Nigeria that are passionate in saving lives.

“We also have a team of counsellors from Peace House who preach the word of God because it is mission project. We start every morning with preaching and prayers believing that the name of Jesus takes care of every infirmity,” she stated.

Adebayo revealed that the Jennifer Etu Foundation which started on February 2021 was born out of the legacy to honuor late Mrs. Jennifer Etu who was a philanthropist and dedicated her live to affordable and access to healthcare, education and scholarships.

“One of her dying wishes was to build six hospitals in the six geopolitical zones of the country in her honour.

“She died of cervical cancer and that each of the hospitals should have cancer screening unit.

“The hospitals are located in Mbaitoli local government of Imo State for South East, Ochon in Cross River State for South South, Malagun in Kagoro Local Government Area of Kaduna State for North West, Odogboyaga in Kogi State for North Central, Ifewara in Osun State for South West, and Tula in Karungo local government of Yobe State for North East.

“These six hospitals are fully functional while three of them have skills acquisition centres where students of young adults are trained of basic hard and soft skills to empower them to be self-sustaining regardless of economic crunch,” she pointed out.

On the need to prioritize healthcare for the citizens, she called on wealthy individuals and the governments to give attention to healthcare, noting that a healthy person is a healthy nation.