China Supports Meridian Hospitals, Pilgrims Health Foundation On Medical Outreach

The Mayor of Housing, My-ACE China, has teamed up with a renowned hospital group in Port Harcourt, the Meridian Hospitals, which is in partnership with the Pilgrims Health Foundation, to carry out a one-day medical outreach last Tuesday.

The free treatment scheme took place at Oromenike Government Girls Secondary School in D-Line, Port Harcourt, with over 100 persons accessing free treatments, including free eye-glasses and booking for eye surgeries.

Other areas of treatment included general health consultations and treatment; blood pressure and sugar level testing; malaria testing and treatment; free prescriptions; preventive health talks focusing on hygiene, maternal health, and nutrition.

The scheme was conducted under the theme: ‘Bringing Healthcare to the Community.’

Newsmen who visited the venue of the scheme found that enthusiastic beneficiaries had thronged the area as early as 7a.m. After setting up, the medical team began attending to the patients.

Mr. Jerry Onwuso, a 63-year-old patient, who was first to see eye doctors and got eye glasses and drugs, told newsmen that he was pleased with the medical intervention.

He made it clear he did not pay any money to get all the treatments and glasses, and pleaded that the scheme be sustained.

Another patient, Loveth Sam, expressed satisfaction with the scheme and appealed to the sponsors to continue to increase the benefits.

Throwing some light on the scheme, Mr. China said he worked in Meridian Hospitals as a Lab. Scientist 19 years ago, but resigned because he could not bear to see patients struggling for life because they had no money to pay for treatment.

He said he came back to help extend free medical treatment to the less privileged.

Sources said China was always having issues with the hospital authorities when he would insist on critical patients being allowed to be treated first, with or without money.

Years later, China, who now goes by a brand name, the Mayor of Housing, returned to the Meridian Hospital headquarters to support free medical scheme.

He also went the next day to the headquarters of Meridian, after the one-day medical outreach, to give cash gifts and palliatives to workers he met when he worked there but had remained in service since he left.

He encouraged them to continue to give their all to humanity through the hospital. The Mayor of Housing called most of them by name and a cloud of emotions descended on them during the reunion.

Appreciating the gesture, the Founder and Chief Medical Director, Dr. Iyke Odo, said China had always manifested hard-work, ambition, and impulsive giving.

According to him, the then young bright boy was full of humanity, kindness, love, and made friends easily, adding that “not everybody that gives is a giver. The difference is that givers are given to give.”

Dr. Odo used the opportunity to call on governments to review Nigeria’s health insurance system and make it work in Nigeria to save lives.

He said it was sad watching critically sick persons abandoned because they did not have money for treatment.

He also condemned harsh tax and electricity tariffs whereby facilities like his now pay N12 million instead of N500,000 few years back.

He wondered why hospitals were being made to pay tariffs like oil companies, citing many other countries where medical facilities were placed on low rates and tariffs so they could charge moderate fees from patients.