Health

Over 400 Patients Receive Free Medical Tests, Treatment At Anambra Hospital

By Polycarp Ifeanyi, Onitsha

No fewer than 400 patients benefited from free medical tests, consultations, and drug prescriptions/delivery for various ailments at St. Charles Borromeo Specialist Hospital, Onitsha, Anambra State, in collaboration with their Hungarian partner, Afreka. 

St. Charles Borromeo Specialist Hospital, a leading healthcare provider in Nigeria, owned and managed by the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha, organized the medical outreach with their foreign partner, Afreka, from Hungary.

In an interview, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the hospital, Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Izunna Okonkwo, disclosed that another outreach is scheduled from October 31 to November 12, 2024.

During the outreach, patients will have the opportunity to receive free Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) consultations and related tests from both Nigerian and foreign ENT specialists.

Fr. Okonkwo emphasized that patients requiring surgery will also access free ENT surgical services, explaining that ENT surgeries can be very expensive, with some procedures costing over ₦1,000,000.

He continued: “We have introduced an endoscopy clinic. While we’ve had a gastroenterologist for a long time, we discovered that some patients require either upper or lower endoscopy procedures. With the support of our Irish benefactors, we received a state-of-the-art endoscopy machine, which has significantly reduced the cost of the procedure.”

“Already, we have performed over 30 sessions within a short period. In the past, patients had to go from place to place seeking endoscopy services, but now they can access the procedure here at our hospital.”

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The cleric expressed his delight, noting that the gastroenterology unit now serves more than 60 patients daily due to the high demand.

He further stated that the hospital has increased the number of functional hemodialysis machines. Although they faced challenges with the machines in the past, the hospital now has eight fully operational units.

Fr. Okonkwo explained that the availability of these dialysis machines eases the burden on patients, many of whom travel from distant parts of the country. In the past, patients often had to stay overnight to secure a dialysis slot for the following day.

“Some patients prefer our hospital because of the quality of services we offer. While there are other dialysis clinics in the area, many still choose St. Charles Borromeo Specialist Hospital for our superior care,” he concluded.

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