About 400 residents of Lagos State have benefited from free medical screening, treatment, medication and enrolment in the state’s health insurance scheme through a two-day medical outreach organised by General Hospital, Somolu, in collaboration with government agencies and healthcare charities.
The intervention, which moved from the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, to General Hospital, Somolu, was designed to promote the early detection of common health conditions and provide residents with access to basic preventive healthcare without the financial burden associated with routine medical checks.
At the Somolu phase of the outreach, beneficiaries underwent screening for hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, prostate cancer and malaria. Mental health screening and counselling were also provided, while those requiring medication received treatment as needed.
Participants were also assisted with enrolment in the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) health insurance scheme, providing them with an opportunity to remain connected to formal healthcare services beyond the duration of the outreach.
The programme brought together the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Lagos State Health Management Agency, Global Health Charity and Training Foundation, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, DBA Comprehensive Health Charity and Capacity Health Foundation.
Speaking at the opening of the outreach on behalf of the Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer of General Hospital, Somolu, Adesina Ayodele, the hospital’s Deputy Medical Director, Nathaniel Oja, described the initiative as significant because of the scale of healthcare services being provided to residents at no cost.
In remarks delivered by Oja, Ayodele expressed appreciation to the organisations that funded and supported the programme, as well as the medical personnel and volunteers who participated in delivering the services.
“Health is a basic human right for everyone, but prevention is better than cure,” he said.
The hospital also emphasised the importance of continued medical care for beneficiaries who required further attention, noting that the outreach should not be treated as a substitute for ongoing treatment.
Ayodele therefore urged patients requiring additional care to return to the hospital for follow-up, assuring them that the facility would provide further treatment within its capacity.
Lead partner Adebayo Akintobi of the Global Health Charity and Training Foundation also encouraged beneficiaries to take full advantage of the medical personnel available during the exercise.
Akintobi told participants that the services were provided free of charge and urged them to speak openly with doctors about their health concerns and ask questions about their screening results.
He stressed the importance of ensuring that beneficiaries understood the outcome of their medical checks rather than leaving the facility without adequate information about their health status.
The lead partner also expressed the foundation’s interest in extending its partnership with the hospital, linking the collaboration to broader efforts to improve access to healthcare services in Lagos.
Beyond addressing immediate health complaints, the range of services provided during the outreach allowed residents to undergo checks for conditions that may not have produced noticeable symptoms.
The organisers also used the exercise to connect residents with the LASHMA health insurance scheme, potentially giving beneficiaries access to healthcare services beyond the period of the medical outreach.
The initiative therefore combined preventive screening, treatment, counselling and health insurance enrolment in an effort to improve access to basic healthcare while encouraging beneficiaries to remain within the formal healthcare system for continued medical attention.
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