Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan, has flagged off free medical outreach and mass animal vaccination in his Yobe North Senatorial District of Yobe State.
Lawan’s spokesperson, Ola Awoniyi, in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, said that the medical services included free eye services, surgical services, gynecological checking and surgeries for families.
According to him, it also covers free veterinary services such as mass animal vaccination for cattle, sheep, goats and treatment care for sick animals.
The senate president, at the flag off ceremonies which held in four centres including Bade and Nguru Local Government Areas of the state, said similar intervention took place in Aug. 2018.
“We did not want to repeat it this year because we had hoped that our people would have overcome the challenges but we still have so many more who are facing those challenges.
“So long as there are people with those challenges, we will continue to intervene by the Grace of God,” he said.
Lawan said the target for this year was to attend to 400 patients who are seriously in need of the intervention but was later informed by the leading surgeon that there are almost 800 people who have been already screened.
This, he said, would require intervention, noting that half of the people were asked to come back next year because the target was 400.
He, however, said: “Now, I want to inform this gathering that all those that have been screened and found to be really in need of the surgery should be accommodated.
“So we will be intervening for almost 800 patients this year by the Grace of God.
“We pray that at the end of the day, we have a successful surgery on those patients.”
According to the Senate President, about one million animals are expected to be vaccinated between Nov. and Dec. this year, and this figure will be twice of what was vaccinated in 2018.
He said the intervention was to complement `the great work’ which was started by the former governor of the state, Ibrahim Gaidam, who is now a senator.
He said the intervention was still being diligently pursued by the incumbent governor, Mai-Mala Buni.
“Yobe state government is part of what we are doing.
“We are together in this and we are together in everything because we belong to one and the same family in Yobe.
“We will continue to work together to ensure that our people enjoy those essential benefits that are referred to as dividends of democracy,” he said.
Lawan said the ultimate way out to addressing the shortcomings in the health sector was institutional building.
“I believe that we need to do more by institutional building. That is, to build our hospitals.
“To build the capacity of the personnel in the hospitals so that this kind of treatment don’t have to come from any individual, that our institutions are able to handle it,” he said
