The first phase of the project, in collaboration with the office of the First Lady, Hajiya Huriyya Dauda Lawal, is set to provide free medical services to people with cases of cataract extraction, groin swellings (hernia, hydroceles), Vesico Vaginal Fistula repairs and health education.
A press statement on Sunday by the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, said that the medical outreach which kick-started last Friday treated 81 cases of eye cataracts and 49 cases of groin swellings.
He noted that the programme was designed to cover 1,000 patients with groin swellings, 200 Vesico-Vaginal Fistula repairs and 1000 patients with eye cataracts, monthly.
According to the statement, “The Zamfara State Government set up a committee of experts that conducted assessments of various service centres in the state to identify the most common surgical problems prevalent in the general population.
“Based on its findings, the committee identified cataract extraction, groin swellings (hernia, hydroceles), Vesico-Vaginal Fistula repairs, and health education as the initial areas of intervention for the first year of the programme.
“This is the first of its kind in the history of Zamfara that the government is engaging in free medical outreach that covers such critical areas.
“The ongoing outreach utilises tele-screening for patients from rural and semi-urban areas to provide specialist care to the needy.
“A strategy has been adopted to allow patients to be screened remotely and receive treatment at designated treatment centres in Gusau.
“The committee also visited the Drugs and Medical Consumables Management Agency in Gusau and has confidence in its ability to provide the necessary supplies for the outreach programme.
“In his resolve to revive the health sector Governor Dauda Lawal widened the scope of the programme to cover all the 14 Local Government Areas of the state.
“The centres for the outreach are General Hospital Gusau, King Fahad General Hospital, and Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital.
“All special cases will be referred to the Federal Medical Centre, Gusau,” the statement said.
