Over 400 Residents Receive Free Healthcare as Comareg Foundation Takes Medical Outreach to Anambra Community

By Praise Chinecherem

More than 400 residents of Ndiokpalaeze community in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State have received free medical care as the Comareg Healthcare Foundation took essential health services to the grassroots.

The outreach, held at the Ndiokpalaeze Civic Centre, provided residents with free medical consultations, health screenings, drugs, counselling and health education. Common ailments, including malaria, typhoid, cough, diabetes and hypertension, were diagnosed and treated during the exercise.

The intervention, which attracted youths, women, children and elderly residents from Ndiokpalaeze and neighbouring communities, was aimed at helping vulnerable residents access healthcare without the burden of cost.

Speaking at the event, Executive Director and Founder of Comareg Healthcare Foundation, Lady Princess Nwando Onyeagwalam, said the initiative was established to bridge the healthcare gap in underserved communities and was inspired by the legacy of her late parents, Sir Reginald Okoli and Lady Comfort Okoli.

She said the foundation was committed to ensuring that poverty would not determine who receives medical attention.

“Our foundation was established out of a profound passion to advance healthcare delivery at the grassroots level. Our vision is simple yet transformative: to ensure that local communities achieve and maintain optimal health, equipped with the capacity to care for themselves and uplift one another,” Onyeagwalam said.

According to her, the foundation hopes to make a significant contribution to improving access to quality healthcare in communities by 2030 through regular medical outreaches, health education, early detection and referrals for specialist care.

“Our target is clear. By the year 2030, we want to contribute immensely to improving access to quality healthcare in our communities,” she added.

Onyeagwalam described the outreach as a family-oriented initiative established in memory of her parents, whose lives, she said, were defined by selfless service to humanity.

She added that the foundation would continue to challenge healthcare inequalities by taking essential services directly to underserved communities.

The Foundation’s Head of Administration, Mr. Peter Ubakeze, said the programme included health awareness and screening for blood pressure, blood sugar, heart-related conditions and other health concerns.

“So far, since 2019, we have held several programmes and have not for one day asked anybody to pay a dime for anything. The vision is to give maximum healthcare to everyone,” Ubakeze said.

The Health Coordinator of the foundation, Mrs. Nsoke Gloria, said beneficiaries underwent laboratory tests for HIV, malaria, glucose and hepatitis, in addition to chest X-rays and general medical consultations.

She explained that patients were either treated on the spot or referred to primary healthcare centres where necessary.

“Once we check their systems, we give them treatment or refer the patient to PHCs in the community depending on the medical condition. We have medication for malaria, typhoid, cough and routine drugs, except the very severe cases which we cannot handle here,” Gloria said.

She added that the foundation also used the outreach to educate residents on maternal health, mental health, gender-based violence and anti-corruption.

Speaking on gender-based violence, the GBV Desk Officer in the Anambra State Ministry of Health, Mrs. Chioma Offor, urged residents to speak up and report cases of abuse to the appropriate authorities.

Offor noted that although gender-based violence affects both men and women, minors and other vulnerable groups are often among the worst affected.

She cautioned community leaders against settling GBV cases within the community, urging them to refer such cases to the police and other appropriate response agencies.

“GBV is a very sensitive issue. We expect community leaders to report cases to the police and direct them to appropriate authorities and response teams. Such cases should not be handled in isolation,” she said.

She also sensitised participants on available support services, including psychosocial care, and encouraged victims and witnesses to seek help early.

Similarly, Executive Director of Creative Minds Centre for Youths and Community Development, Mrs. Ugochi Freeman, spoke on the Sex Offenders Register, anti-corruption and the need for communities to unite against child defilement and other forms of gender-based violence.

Freeman said value reorientation must begin within families and at the grassroots level. She also educated participants on the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law and services available through the state implementation committee, including psychosocial support and free legal and medical services at the Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Enugwu-Ukwu.

She further warned that corruption undermines community development by denying vulnerable people access to basic services.

The President-General of Ndiokpalaeze Improvement Union, Barr. Uchenna Obiora, described the outreach as timely and beneficial to residents.

“This intervention is an act of benevolence by a daughter of the community. It is one of the many times she is bringing this kind of programme to the community. I urge her to sustain it because it is worth doing,” Obiora said.

He also reaffirmed the community’s position against gender-based violence, saying appropriate channels would be used to ensure justice for survivors.

One of the beneficiaries, Mazi Okezie Umeh, said he underwent screening for malaria, diabetes, HIV and tuberculosis, describing the services as professional and satisfactory.

Another beneficiary, Mrs. Chioma Okoli, said her entire household benefited from the programme.

“May God continue to bless her for reaching out to those of us who cannot afford proper medical care. Due to cost, some of us have not gone for a medical check-up this year, but she has made it possible for us to access it free of charge,” she said.

The outreach is part of Comareg Healthcare Foundation’s ongoing efforts to take preventive healthcare, medical screening and health education closer to underserved communities while promoting early detection and access to appropriate treatment.

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