Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali-Pate, has offered free medical outreach to flood victims in Bauchi State.

Inspecting the outreach in Misau and Katagum local government areas on Sunday, Mr Ali-Pate said the exercise was available to many victims.

According to him, the outreach is being carried out through a collaboration of his privately funded Non-Governmental Organisation, Chigari Foundation and the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).

At the temporary Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Azare, the headquarters of Katagum LGA, the minister lauded the diligence and professionalism exhibited by the medical practitioners attending to the people.

“The people are receiving treatment for basic diseases like malaria, pneumonia, and hypertension, among others. This is because, in these difficult times, we have to do everything we can to provide relief to the people of our country.

“We have seen the tremendous work that is being carried out by health professionals collectively: medical doctors, pharmacists, nurses and lab scientists all trying to support our communities in this difficult time.

“Whoever comes for this outreach will be checked, examined, diagnosed and treated for free,” he assured.

Mr Ali-Pate said that on Sunday, the medical team had attended to more than 1,200 people who had been tested and many were diagnosed with malaria, pneumonia and skin condition and had been treated.

“It’s about access in an emergency situation, and here we have an internally displaced population, and we have to do everything we can to support our communities in this difficult time,” he said.

The minister added that through the Chigari Foundation, all the nine local government areas affected by the flood in the state would receive contributions.

He said the foundation was also targeting to provide direct support to 250 people in each local government area directly affected by flood.

Mr Ali-Pate called on all well-meaning Nigerians to join hands to bring succour to communities affected by disasters across the country to cushion the effects of hardships occasioned by natural disasters.

In his address, Yusuf Bappa, chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association in Bauchi State, explained that the outreach was meant to assist people affected by the recent flood disaster that ravaged the senatorial zone.

He said over 1,000 children, women and men with varying degrees of ailments were treated at the temporary IDP camp, adding that those with severe cases were referred to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Azare, for further investigation and treatment.

Speaking on behalf of other beneficiaries, 70-year-old Awawu Umaru, who appreciated the state government for providing the temporary IDP camp, also expressed gratitude to the minister and NMA for the free medical treatment.

(NAN)