Living life in the Nigerian urban areas come with lots of benefits, one of which is the ease with which citizens can seek for medicines from pharmacists to treat minor aches or ailments, or book appointments with doctors for critical health issues. But not so for those residing in the creeks. For these coastal dwellers, health is not only wealth, but gold!

In an attempt to bring some respite to coastal dwellers, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, Gbaramatu Kingdom structure led by Comr. Wilson Uduboh, recently flagged-off its health exercise in collaboration with a nongovernment organisation, the Excellence Community Education and Welfare Scheme, taking the medical outreach programme on Thursday and Friday (June 8 and 9, 2023) to some communities in the Kingdom, situated in the Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State.

Members of the NGO team include Doctor Promise Nsikab, Ejiro Biokoro and Umudide Alvin, who are both laboratory scientists, and a nurse named Cynthia Ekwere. Among the IYC Gbaramatu Structure who were led by Comr. Oyinkuro Wazo (Secretary General) also include Comr. Tracy Edolo (woman leader), Comr. Stella Ejiro (Treasurer), and Comr. Tamarakuro Tonfawei (Financial Secretary).

The IYC Gbaramatu Kingdom structure's first point of call during the medical outreach on Friday was at Kantu community, a sparsely populated settlement hosting both the Ijaws and the Itsekiris. And by the time the medical team was done, the expressions on the faces of the natives of the community was one of gratitude and excitement. It would also be the first time the people have witnessed health officials visiting their community in the creeks to carry out such an exercise, moreso, with no financial burden on them.

The team of health officials first began the free medical outreach exercise with a sensitization in the town hall where Kantu inhabitants had gathered after being informed earlier of the exercise. They were educated on preventive measures to adopt against common ailments such as malaria, typhoid, worms, HIV, rheumatism, among others, with the message centered on “prevention is better than cure.”

What followed next was the conduction of tests by the health officials on those in attendance at the venue. The tests centered on malaria and typhoid, blood pressure, as well as infections among others. Treatment by way of drugs were also offered and their dosages explained to beneficiaries.

"I've never seen this kind of programme since I've been living in this community," confessed Mr. Richmond Edijala, a native of the community. "We are grateful for the free medication and may God bless those who made this outreach possible," he prayed.

Another beneficiary, a woman named Jite Sunday, who came with an infant, spoke in same vein and applauded the organisers while affirming that “the drugs were free, no consultation fee, and no charges whatsoever.”

But while the medical outreach came to a close with excitement on the faces of the natives of Kantu, one could not also help wonder what will happen to the people after the health officials would have left. Can the programme be sustained or it would take years again for such fortune to smile on them?

"This is the phase one of the programme and in no distant time we will begin the phase two," said Comr. Wazo Yinkuro, secretary of the IYC Gbaramatu Kingdom structure in a chat with PENGlobal Community, and added “The programme has come to stay.”

Having finished with Kantu, the free medical outreach team of the IYC Gbaramatu Kingdom structure and the NGO team continued the tour to the next community on their list. And quite impressive is the fact that the youth body that is popularly known for its political activism has somehow taken on a humanitarian responsibility, which is quite commendable. 

The following day, the IYC and the medical team were in the ancient town of Igoba Federated Community, which like some of its counterpart creek communities wears the look of abandonment, with not even a landing jetty to give easy access to its vast highland with scanty houses.

Cramped inside its small town hall on Friday for the free medical outreach programme were children, youths, women and men, majority of whom lacked the wherewithal to fund their private access to medical institutions in the urban centers as there are no health centers within its landscape.

Comr. Oyinkuro, Secretary of the IYC Gbaramatu Structure, and Dr. Nsikan, both led the teams comprising of some of the Council's executives of Igoba.

Following planned routine as was done in Ikantu, the medical team carried out a sensitization on preventive measures the natives should adopt against common ailments and other dangerous diseases. Next, medical tests were conducted that centered on malaria and typhoid, blood pressure, infections among others. Treatments were also given for mild ailments.

Speaking during the exercise, the chairman of the community, Mr. Gift Preye, thanked the organisers of the free medical outreach programme and called for other government as well as private organisations to follow suit.

Mr. Preye also lamented the poor state of the community especially as it lacked some vital infrastructures like landing jetty, communication mast, and other basic amenities such as potable water, the lack of which is leading to malaria and typhoid infections.

Speaking to PENGlobal Community, the IYC medical outreach team leader, Comr. Oyinkuro said: "The mission of the IYC Gbaramatu Kingdom is to simply rebuild, restore and reform the health of our people back to its original state, by reaching out to communities with medical disadvantages in the kingdom and its environs.

"In the just concluded phase 1 of the medical exercise, two communities was reached out to: Kantu Federated Community and Igoba Federated Community. Within these two communities, we reached out to men, women, youths, teenagers and children, resulting to about 207 beneficiaries from both communities, with adequate and effective health education, testing and treating of malaria and typhoid, testing of HIV status, among others.

"We thank God for peace and journey mercies throughout the phase 1 of the exercise and we also join our voices with sons and daughters of Gbaramatu, both in Diaspora to sincerely appreciate our Pere, Oboro Gbaraun II, Aketepke, Agadagba, for his support and permission. And also to our ever supportive stakeholders for their support towards the success of the phase 1 of this effective medical outreach.

"We call on the Federal Government, the State Government, the Federal Ministry of Health, the State Ministry of Health, the Commissioner representing ijaw ethnic nationality in the Board of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC; other NGOs to sincerely support the IYC Gbaramatu Kingdom-led medical outreach exercise in restoring, reforming and rebuilding of health of our people," he appealed.

Others that participated in the exercise include Comr. Torudon Deborah (Vice President, National Association of Delta Ijaw Student, NADIS, Worldwide), Comr. Elekute Tamarapriye (Director of Sports, National Association of Gbaramatu Student, NAGS, Worldwide), Comr. Abei Edith (Director of Social, NAGS), Nurse Evidence Onitsha and Nurse Ebiyen Onitsha.

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