By Polycarp Ifeanyi, Onitsha
No fewer than 400 patients have benefited from free Medical test, free consultation, and free drug prescription/delivery for various ailments, from St. Charles Borromeo Specialist Hospital, Onitsha Anambra State, and their Hungarian partner, Afreka.
St. Charles Borromeo Specialist Hospital, a leading Healthcare Provider in Nigeria, owned and managed by the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha, Nigeria, during their Medical outreach offered free tests, free consultation, and free drug prescription/delivery, together with their foreign partner: Afreka from Hungery.
In an interview, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Hospital, Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Izunna Okonkwo, disclosed that another outreach is being anticipated, from October 31st, to November 12, 2024. During the medical outreach, patients will have opportunity for free Ear, Nose, and Throat ( ENT), and related cases investigations, in the hands of both Nigera, and foreign ENT consultants.
He also underlined, that those who require surgery will access ENT surgical services free. He further stated that Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeries are very expensive, as some of the procedures could cost over ₦1, 000, 000. 00.
Continuing, he said: ” We have introduced an Endoscopy clinic. We have Gastroenterologist for a long time, but we discovered that some of our patients, need to undergo, either upper or lower Endoscopy proceedure . So, through the assistance of our Irish benefactors, we were able to get a state of arts Endoscopy machine, as a donation and it has helped us to reduce cost of the procedure.”
“Already we have done over 30 sessions, within a very short period. Before, people were running from Piller to post to get a place to do the Endoscopy, but now we have started it in our Hospital”
The cleric expressed delight, saying that their Gastroenterology unit records a high number of patients’ turnout regularly, at times over 60 patients per day!
He equally expounded that they have increased the number of functional Hemodialysis machines they have in the Hospital, recalling that they had challenges with their machines in the past but, now they have up to 8 of them, functioning very well.
He said that the availability of the Hermodialysis machines in their Hospital will reduce a lot of stress on their patients, who he said most often come from different parts of the country, explaining that previously, they came and pass a night in order to have chance of being dialyzed on a particular day.
” Some patients prefer to come to us because of quality services we render. There are other dialysis clinics around but people prefer to come to St. Charles Borromeo Specialist Hospital because of quality services we render.
Fr. Izunna concluded.
