More than 1,500 residents of Ibusa (Ibuzo) in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State have benefited from a three-day programme organised by the Association of Ibusa Professional Women (AIPROW) in collaboration with the Ibusa Association, United States of America.

According to a statement, the programme featured a career talk on the girl-child mandate and the distribution of wheelchairs to people living with disabilities on the first day; a mental health seminar on the second day; and a free medical outreach on the third day.

The medical outreach provided beneficiaries with free medical consultations, vital signs checks, blood sugar tests, eye screening and cancer screening, drawing residents from Ibusa and neighbouring communities.

The turnout underscored the demand for accessible healthcare services in the community and stretched the capacity of the organisers and medical personnel.

The exercise also provided free medications and eyeglasses to beneficiaries identified as requiring them after medical examinations.

Commenting, President of AIPROW, Mrs Elizabeth Idigbe, said the overwhelming turnout indicated the significant need for accessible healthcare services within the community.

Idigbe explained that the organisers had planned the latest edition largely based on the database from the previous year, but the number of residents who turned up far exceeded their projections.

“We have more than 600 people here, and we have been attending to people continuously. Every time I looked around, I asked myself, ‘Are we really attending to everyone?’ because the crowd just keeps coming,” she said.

According to her, the unexpected turnout forced the organisers to mobilise additional medical personnel and other resources to ensure that as many people as possible were attended to.

According to her, some doctors and nurses from Ibusa volunteered their services, while medical professionals who were not originally scheduled to participate also joined the team after seeing the number of people waiting to be attended to.

Idigbe said the response was particularly strong in the eye-screening section, suggesting that many residents had untreated or undiagnosed vision-related problems.

“Vision Springs assisted us with a donation of 200 eyeglasses, and we purchased an additional 200 pieces,” she said.

She disclosed that materials for blood sugar testing were exhausted after more than 400 people had undergone the screening.

“The Light Diabetes Organisation was on the ground and supported part of the blood sugar testing,” she said.

The situation, she said, underscored the extent of the demand for basic health checks, particularly among residents who might not ordinarily have the opportunity to undergo routine medical examinations.

The AIPROW president said crowd management also became a major challenge as the number of beneficiaries increased.

She explained that the organisers had adopted a first-come, first-served arrangement to ensure fairness but had to deal with pressure from some beneficiaries who wanted to be attended to ahead of others.

Additional items donated for the programme, including T-shirts for children and bread, also had to be distributed carefully because the quantities available could not meet the demands of the large crowd.

Despite the challenges, Idigbe said the response from the community had reinforced AIPROW’s commitment to sustaining the initiative.

She expressed appreciation to the Ibusa Association, USA, for its continued partnership and support, adding that the association’s National President was also present at this year’s event.

Idigbe called on other community organisations, individuals and groups to establish similar programmes, stressing that healthcare interventions did not have to be limited to large organisations or government institutions.

“This is needed. People need free medical services. If we continue doing this in Ibusa, somebody else does it in another community, and another person does the same somewhere else, it will make the country a better place,” she said.

She said the outreach had become one of AIPROW’s most enduring community-service programmes, having been sustained for about 11 years.

According to her, the association was the brainchild of Professor Ifeoma Utomi.

Idigbe said the initiative had evolved over the years as the organisers identified new needs among beneficiaries and sought ways of expanding the range of services available.

She recalled that previous editions had included additional interventions, including plans to assist some beneficiaries who required surgical procedures.

“We have been doing it for 11 years, and by the grace of God, we’ll continue,” she said.

Idigbe also attributed the sustainability of the programme partly to the involvement of younger members of the association, describing them as the future custodians of the initiative.

She said many members and volunteers who had participated in previous editions continued to return because of the satisfaction they derived from contributing to the wellbeing of their people.

For Idigbe, the outreach goes beyond medical treatment, as it provides an avenue for professional women to use their skills, networks and resources to support their community.

She said this year’s programme also included the girl-child mandate, with talks on the use of AI, drug abuse, human trafficking and building good careers.

She said the initiative remained one of the most meaningful aspects of her professional and community service because it provided an opportunity to give back to Ibusa.

 Idigbe described the medical outreach as a celebration of love, service, unity and community impact.

“As professional women, we believe our success becomes more meaningful when we use it to touch lives and give back to our community.

“This outreach is our little way of bringing hope, support and encouragement to our people. I sincerely appreciate every member, partner and volunteer who has contributed to making this possible,” she said.

She assured the beneficiaries that their needs remained important to the organisers.

“To our beneficiaries, please know that you matter, you are valued, and you are not forgotten,” Idigbe said.

She expressed optimism that the success of the latest edition would encourage more partners and supporters to join the initiative and make it possible to accommodate an even larger number of beneficiaries in subsequent editions.

For some of those who attended the outreach, the programme was more than a routine medical exercise. It provided an opportunity to receive medical attention, discover health concerns and obtain treatment without having to bear the financial burden associated with hospital visits.

One of the beneficiaries, Mr Ugobu Anthony, commended AIPROW and its partners for providing the services free of charge.

Anthony, who underwent a general medical check-up and eye examination, said health workers attended to his blood pressure and vision concerns.

He said he received medication for his blood pressure and was prescribed glasses to address his vision problem.

“It was a good exercise and I appreciate the organisers. God will continue to bless them. It has not been easy, but they are doing their best,” he said.

Anthony, however, called for improved publicity ahead of future editions, saying he would not have known about the programme but for information from his wife.

“I think more publicity is needed because, if not for the knowledge of my wife, I would not have known that such a thing was happening in Ibusa,” he said.

He said wider publicity would enable more residents, particularly those who might be unaware of the programme, to take advantage of the free services.

Anthony nevertheless acknowledged the effort involved in organising an outreach of such magnitude, particularly in view of the number of people who turned up.

“Even when you look at the crowd here, you know it is not easy to organise healthcare on this magnitude. They are trying, and I appreciate them,” he added.

Another beneficiary, Mrs Veronica Odion, left the outreach visibly excited after receiving free eyeglasses and medication following her eye examination.

Odion, who said she had also participated in the previous edition, described the intervention as a major relief.

“These women are wonderful. They have done what is difficult for many organisations. I was at the event last year. This year, I still turned up. They got me tested. After the testing, they gave me eyeglasses and some medications,” she said.

The beneficiary said the assistance had eased a burden she had been carrying, expressing gratitude to the organisers for responding to the needs of residents.

“I am over the moon. They have surprised me beyond my imagination. I am going home fulfilled today because they have lifted a great burden from me. I thank them earnestly for this wonderful gesture they have extended to me,” Odion said.

She urged other communities to emulate the initiative, describing AIPROW’s sustained intervention over the past 11 years as an example of community service that could be replicated elsewhere.

Odion also appealed to public-spirited individuals, governments, corporate organisations and other stakeholders to support similar healthcare interventions.

“If this kind of programme is replicated across communities in the country, things will be much better for the people,” she said.

She added that sustained support for vulnerable residents through free medical services could help bring essential healthcare closer to people who might otherwise find it difficult to access.

The latest outreach, according to the organisers, has reinforced the importance of community-driven healthcare initiatives while strengthening the partnership between AIPROW and the Ibusa Association, USA.

With more than 1,500 residents attended to across the three-day programme, the organisers said the experience would inform planning for future editions, particularly in the areas of medical personnel, supplies, publicity and logistics.

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