No fewer than fifteen thousand patients have so far benefitted from the free surgeries of the annual surgical festival in Niger state within the last seven years.
The surgical festival which was initiated in twenty fifteen through collaboration between a Non Governmental Organisation the Sani Bello Foundation and Graceland Healthcare in Kaduna state coincided with the eightieth birthday anniversary of the founder.
Director General Sani Bello Foundation Mr Zakari Ikani announced this while adressing Newsmen at the General Hospital in Kontagora.
Mr Zakari Ikani explained that the outreach was motivated by the foundation’s determination to ease life for the less privileged in society which
according to him has been the habit and desire of Colonel Sani Bello retired the founder that he sees these things happening, people smiling when their problems are relieved.
“This festival will continue because we know more people need these free services to enhance their well being”.
In his remarks team leader Graceland Foundation Kaduna, Dr Toth Joseph Dogo said the programme aim to provide succour and relieve to patients with various ailments requiring surgeries who may not be able to pay for such services from their own pockets.
“This program is fast becoming more of a national outreach program. We have seen most of the cases coming from other parts of the state and even outside the state.
“We have treated various illnesses for free, which ordinarily will cost a common man between N200,000 and a million naira at a private facility.
The Founder of Sani Bello Foundation, Col Sani Bello rtd. said that the medical outreach is a way to pay back the people of Kontagora who were responsible for his schooling while he was growing up adding that he is glad that there are smiles on the faces of the poor rural people who are mostly beneficiaries of these disease
One of the benefitiaries Zainab Salisu expressed happiness that she can now have a child after living with fibroid for over two decades while Yahuza Saleh from Matane said the outreach has brought an end to his travails of living with hernia.
Illnesses treated during the festival include fibroid, appendicitis, goiter, hernia, thyroid, appendectomy, fibroid, hernia, glaucoma, eye treatment, and emergency cesarean section, hydrocoele among many others.
Aliyu Lawal