Rebecca Ejifoma
Over 180 residents of Makoko, a slum community in Lagos State, heaved a sigh of relief after Clina-Lancet Laboratories carried out free medical screenings to know their current health status like blood sugar level, blood pressure, and physical examination.
This is as the organisation understands the effect of the national economic turbulence which inevitably could further aggravate the health status and living condition of indigent residents. Hence, they were treated to some food items among other relief materials.
Some of the items included 180 mini bags of rice, 180 mini bags of garri, 180 one-liters bottles of vegetable oil, packs of detergent, spaghetti, packs of bar soaps, gallons of dish washing soap, two pairs of school sandals for each of the 180 households, clothing and free health check-up.
This initiative solely powered by Clina-Lancet Laboratories as a part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Ori-Oke Banana Community Centre, Makoko on Saturday September 25, close to its branch office at Ebute-Metta, Lagos State.
In the words of the CEO and Managing Director of Clina-Lancet Laboratories, Dr Olayemi Dawodu, the purpose of the health check is to identify individuals unaware of their current health status and ensure early intervention and management.
She emphasised: “Some of the things we are doing now include blood sugar checks and blood pressure assessments. We have gotten a lot of high blood pressure patients here. The idea behind it is for them to be aware of their current and go onward to the primary healthcare centre in their environment for follow-up care of these conditions.”
The quarterly CSR programme, according to Dawodu, is in conjunction with the Community Development Association (CDA) chairman. “We plan to visit Idi-Araba community near the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) branch of the organisation and others in around our branches across the country.”
Speaking also, its Business Development Manager, Thomas Olusegun, said he was inspired to do more by the number of lives impacted by Clina-Lancet Laboratories Nigeria at Makoko through this event.
“Our plan was to reach about 150 households today. However, we already have 180 households and counting. In months to come, we are expected to do more of this. We believe health is wealth and a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. So, we want to make our impact known in all the communities where we operate,” says Olusegun.
While cushioning the effect of a pandemic year with those items, Olusegun alongside 20 team members on ground urged the residents to ensure they visited the nearest Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) for continuous treatment and adhere to medical advice.
