Ayodeji Ake
About 100 residents of Ikorodu, Lagos State, have benefited from the ongoing free medical surgeries and drugs organised by the Christ Compassion to the Rural World (CCRW), initiated by Pastor Mattew Ashimolowo of Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC).
During a visitation to the Ikorodu General Hospital where the surgeries are taking place, one of the surgeons, Dr. Olalekan Ajayi, told journalists that the surgeries have been successfully carried out and working on others.
He noted the surgeries are for indigents who cannot afford surgeries for battling ailments.
He said: “We have been organised to give free surgeries to the less privileged in Ikorodu and its environs. People who have been unable to have their conditions treated because of money are the main beneficiaries of this program. This is an opportunity for them.
“There are a lot of people who also won’t benefit because the scope of the surgeries is necessarily constrain to surgeries that we can perform and the patients can return home the same day. Other people came during the screening and we declined them because the kind of surgeries that they required are more complex and technical.
“We have so far been doing treatment for breast lump, body lumps and various types of lumps. These are things people have been dealing with for years and unable to do anything about.”
Pharmacist in charge of the programme, Esther Ajayi, explained that over 50 residents have benefitted from the ongoing free surgeries and more will benefit before the end of the programme.
“When we started we had challenges but things are better now. We have all the drugs they need and after the surgery, we do post-operatives. After the surgery, the doctor writes prescriptions of the drugs they need to use afterwards and we dispense the drugs. In the theatre, we make sure all things needed including the consumables are made available for smooth surgery.
“Everything is free. We can’t actually give figures at the moment but we have over 50 of them that have undergone surgery,” she said.
One of the beneficiaries of the programme, Miss Ruth Nwamaka, who was living with breast lump for 11 years and could not afford treatment, expressed joy.
“For the past 11 years I have been dealing with breast lump health issue that cost between N150,000 and N200,000. Today through the CCRW programme, I have undergone free surgery. Thanks to Pastor Mattew Ashimolowo. I’m so happy,” she said.
