Over 500 residents from within and outside Alakia trooped out recently for a free health outreach at the ALGON Ibadan Airport Community PHC, Airport Road, Alakia, Egbeda LGA.
The two-day programme offered free BP checks, diabetes and cholesterol screening, prostate cancer and malaria tests, dental care, mental health counselling, and free medications.
Organised by the Global Health Charity and Training Foundation in collaboration with UCH, Ibadan, the Oyo State Ministry of Health, and UCH Alumni Class of 1991, the outreach aimed to expand access to basic healthcare and link patients to further treatment.
Speaking at the venue, Dr. Adebayo Akintobi of the Global Health Charity and Training Foundation, in an interview with Tribune Online said the exercise was aimed at expanding access to healthcare while upgrading the PHC to a functional Level 2 facility.
“When we walked in here this morning, there were probably about 300 people waiting in the waiting area. We are expecting to see about 400 patients here today,” Akintobi said.
He commended the local organising committee, the CMD and CMAC of UCH, Professor Olubukola Adesina, and the ALAC team for their efforts.
“This PHC was almost literally non-existent two years ago, but we are trying to elevate the status of this PHC,” he stated.
Akintobi announced that the UCH Class of 1991 is adopting the PHC to serve as a training site.
“We want to adopt this PHC such that the Family Medicine Department of UCH will be able to use this now for training of medical residents and medical doctors. This is a full-throated collaboration that involves UCH, the PHC, and allied care,” he said.
He disclosed that 150 volunteers, including medical students, residents, nurses, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and lab scientists, are on ground.
Food for volunteers was donated by the Trimble Foundation, Lagos.
The dental unit is led by Dr. Deola Fale and Dr. Dedeke, a community dentist from UCH. Dr. Akintobi also acknowledged the donation of a brand new dental chair by the PHC Executive Secretary, Dr. Latunji.
Services being offered include checks for blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, Hepatitis B, and PSA prostate cancer screening for men. Patients diagnosed with new conditions will receive two months of free medications.
“500 people have registered in this PHC. They paid ₦1,500 to register here. So they already have a medical home. Dr. Aderintor is the Family Physician Consultant here. They have three dental hygienists here,” Akintobi said, adding that the team will provide resources to sustain the flow of care.
According to Akintobi, the Alakia outreach is part of ongoing activities by the UCH ’91 set. The team was in Lagos on Monday and Tuesday, where 1,000 patients were attended to in two days. Concurrently, Dr. John-Louis Toubou is leading orthopedic surgeries in Lagos, while Dr. Nneka Folabi, Dr. Akonde, and Dr. Sikiru Adebayo are leading surgical and endoscopy teams at UCH.
On crowd control, he said the group has experience from previous outreaches in Owerri and Sagamu. “Once people see orderliness and compassion, they reciprocate. That is part of what is missing in our society today,” he said.
Also in chat with Tribune Online at the sidelines of the medical outreach programme, another member of the Class of 1991 set, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Dr Fola Oluwehinmi, a physician, described the two-day free medical outreach as the defining highlight of their 35th year reunion and a practical contribution to nation building.
According to Oluwehinmi, the initiative gave the reunion deeper meaning beyond celebration.
“When I look around, I am very happy. This makes our reunion a lot more memorable. This is not just later on, when we will have our time to meet each other and to felicitate. But this makes our reunion much more memorable in the sense of service, giving back to society,” Oluwehinmi said.
“We’re all products of UCH, where we went to medical school. But giving back to society like this collaborative effort of medical and dental outreach is much more humanitarian. It helps us to remember this reunion very well.”
He commended the leadership of Dr. Adebayo Akintobi and Dr. Irabo for driving the initiative, noting that the turnout and organisation had been impressive.
Oluwehinmi disclosed that the class plans to adopt the Primary Health Centre in Alakia as a training and service hub for UCH’s Family Medicine Department.
Confirming Oluwehinmi’s statement, Akintobi added that the project is being executed in partnership with the Cooperation Private Sector Alliance of Nigeria, which aims to adopt 774 PHCs across the country.
“This will be a flagship for Oyo State, in our opinion, because now there’s still a panel in this primary that wasn’t there before. There’s a pump that brings bottled water that wasn’t there before. There are three dental chairs that are being used today that weren’t there before,” he said.
The UCH ’91 alumnus also acknowledged the support of Dr. Olatunji, Executive Secretary, Oyo State Primary Health Care Board, and the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ajayi Chamundi, a family physician and UCH alumnus, for their role in the collaboration.
On whether other alumni sets would be encouraged to replicate the model, Dr. Oluwehonmi said: “Little drops of water make a mighty ocean. UCH ’91 is taking this step… Others will hear about it. One will tell one. When we are done with this, I will mention this to maybe a friend in the ’90 class or a colleague in the 2000 class. There’s no way an effort like this will not inspire somebody else.”
He described the initiative as part of broader efforts to rebuild the country’s health capacity, stressing that “the government cannot do it alone, and that’s why you are here. It takes the partnership of the public and the private sector coming together with a clear vision and with good leadership to make things happen.”
Akintobi also hinted that the next phase of the outreach would focus on Bayelsa and Rivers States, where arrangements are already underway to adopt two PHCs in each state.
“We were in Lagos just two days ago, but the level of organisation here today is first class. We have done some side visits in those states as we speak right now,” he added.
The UCH Class of ’91 said it hopes the Alakia PHC model will serve as a template for other alumni groups seeking to give back to their communities.
Beneficiaries of the free medical outreach in Alakia, Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State have expressed their gratitude to the Class of 1991 from the University College Hospital, Ibadan, and its partners for making healthcare services more accessible to the community.
Residents of Alakia and environs in Akinyele Local Government Area have commended the organisers of the ongoing free medical outreach by the University College Hospital, UCH, Class of ’91, describing the exercise as well-coordinated and beneficial to the community.
Speaking during the 2-day outreach, Chief Adesina Adekunle, Chairman of Anoluwa Community Association, said the planning and conduct of the programme stood out.
“The planners did very well. The whole thing is well-organized. And the staff who are attending to us are doing the thing diligently. So there’s no hurry-hurry. They are doing the thing the way it should be,” Chief Adekunle said.
When asked if he had experienced a similar intervention in the area before, the community leader said it was the first of its kind.
“No, this initiative is laudable and this is the first of its kind In this area because I live here,” he said. “As a matter of fact, I’m chairman of one of the associations here — Anoluwa Community.”
Chief Adekunle disclosed that he presented his health complaints at the outreach and he was attended to promptly.
“Yes, I came here, gave them my complaints, and they ran tests for me,” he stated. “And as a matter of fact, I’ve been given a referral to UCH to receive treatment for one of the problems I complained about,” Adekunle added.
One of the beneficiaries, Mr Samuel Afolabi, mentioned that the initiative has significantly eased the difficulty of accessing treatment.
He noted that many residents who would typically have to travel to UCH for care are now receiving treatment in their own community.
“I really appreciate what they are doing for us. It has helped us a lot. We were expecting to go to UCH, but now this service is available right here. Thank God,” Afolabi said at the outreach event.
When asked about the services he sought, he explained that he had come for a general medical check-up and dental care.
“For a general body check-up, including dental health. They told us to come back the next day for dental treatment. They examined me today and found several issues. I’m very happy to be here now. The way they treat us is excellent, and the best part is that everything is free,” he stated.
For another beneficiary of the free medical outreach, who identified herself as Miss Orimisan Ebun iyebiye also expressed satisfaction with the care received, saying the free services made the experience worthwhile.
According to iyebiye who came to the 2-day outreach to look for a solution to her eye problems, said she had difficulty seeing when it is sunny and complained of difficulty in seeing objects at a distance.
“I’ve come for the treatment of my eyes. I always find it difficult to see when the sun comes out, and I can’t see things from far,” she said.
According to her, medical personnel at the outreach screened her and determined that the available glasses were not suitable for her condition.
“They said that the glasses they have are not for me, but I was given free medication at the PHC pharmacy,” she explained.
She added that she was also advised to visit a health centre for further evaluation to “learn to see.”
When asked if she was happy with the outcome, the beneficiary responded in the affirmative, citing cost as a major factor, saying the free access to medical care and a doctor at your doorstep initiative of the outreach was a big relief to her.
Another resident highlighted that the program has brought medical services to parts of the community that rarely receive such assistance.
“The program has provided medical treatment to the entire area, even to those of us from less accessible parts. I typically have to travel quite a distance, but now everything is going well,” he expressed.