By Blessing Ibunge:
In line with its corporate social responsibility, the Olympus Marino Deck of the National Association of Seadogs (NAS) yesterday, organised a one-day N3.8million worth of free medical outreach for indigent Isu community in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The group organised the medical outreach to commemorate Nigeria’s Independence Day Celebration.The medical outreach which doubles as social advocacy was aimed at relieving the plight of indigent members of the community by making a far reaching statement to the ears of the government.
Capoon of the Olympus Marino Deck, Mr Iche Cecil-Wordu, who disclosed this year theme of the outreach as, “Sending Hope to Isu Etche,” said the community was identified by their team of medical experts to be in need of medical attention.Wordu noted that although located in oil rich Rivers State, Isu community lacks basic amenities for good life, including electricity, portable water, health center and good roads.
The NAS group leader explained: “In Olympus Marino Deck, we have institutionalised October 1, every year as the day to take free medical outreach programme to communities that lacks medical facilities. We have been doing this for the past four years. In my tenure as a Capoon, this is the second.
“Last year we went to Joinkrama in Ahoada which was sacked by flood, we visited them, gave them relieves materials, medicals and treated all sorts of ailments. This year we have chosen Isu Community in Etche because they lack basic amenities: there is no light, no pipe-borne water and no medical center. That is the criteria with which we choose the community.
“As you can see, both the paramount ruler, the chiefs, elders and leadership of the community are very happy to receive us and many people have turned out en mass.
“The women, children, young men and old people benefited from our free medical treatment for eye, diabetes, hypertension and sundry ailments. We have also come to distribute sanitary pads to the young girls and insecticide treated mosquito net to the community”.
He revealed: “We are partnering with the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt to deliver this programme today. We are presently attending to about 1500 persons and I believe in the next couple of hours this place will be filled with quite alot of Indigenes of the community and from the neighbouring communities. We are spending about N3.8million today on the outreach.”
In his appreciative speech, the paramount ruler of the community, Ochimba Isu, Eze Nicholas Ordu, thanked the group for the gesture. He lamented that since existence of his community, they have not enjoyed basic amenities even though they contribute to growth of the nation’s economy.
