More than 3,000 residents of Gombe State have benefited from a free medical outreach organised by the Jennifer Etuh Foundation in partnership with Pro-Health International Africa.
The five-day programme, held in Tula community in Kaltungo Local Government Area, offered a wide range of services, including general medical consultations, surgeries, eye care, dental treatment, circumcisions and maternal health support for underserved households.
Speaking at the close of the exercise on Friday, the foundation’s programme manager, Joe Otu, said the initiative was designed to bridge healthcare gaps affecting rural dwellers who often struggle to access basic medical services.
He explained that residents from Tula and neighbouring communities were given free consultations and treatment for all ailments, with a team made up of surgeons, physicians, dentists, ophthalmologists and gynaecologists.
Mr Otu noted that the outreach revealed a high number of hernia, ulcer, eye-related and dental cases among participants. Over the course of the programme, 1,775 patients received general consultations, while pharmacy interventions reached 1,800. A total of 532 people accessed eye care and received corrective lenses, 76 eye surgeries were performed, and dental interventions were provided for 244 individuals.
In addition, the outreach recorded 113 general surgeries and 674 laboratory investigations. Four children were circumcised and one woman delivered safely during the exercise.
He added that the foundation had built and equipped a community hospital in Tula three years ago to help address long-standing barriers to quality healthcare in the area.
A dentist who participated in the outreach, Dr Kinsley Eze, said poor oral hygiene remained a major problem in the community, largely due to limited access to toothpaste and dental care products.
He said many residents had lived with severe dental pain for years. The team, he added, conducted several tooth-cleaning procedures and offered guidance on proper oral hygiene, advising residents to brush twice daily and undergo professional cleaning every six months.
Several beneficiaries praised the initiative, describing it as life-changing. Thirteen-year-old Sarah Tafida, who was born with an impaired eye, expressed joy after undergoing corrective surgery. “I am so happy to see the doctor and get my eye fixed,” she said.
Another beneficiary, Grace Shedrack, who had lived with two damaged teeth for more than a decade, said the outreach restored her confidence. “I have been suffering for so long, but thanks to this foundation, I can now smile confidently,” she said.
