This year’s medical outreach was held at the First Baptist Church in Isokun, Oyo Town, Oyo State, Nigeria, on November 20, 2021.
The medical staff included volunteer doctors as well as family practitioners, dentists, ophthalmologists, medical officers, pharmacists, nurses, and dieticians.
Less fortunate people traveled from far and wide to take advantage of the complimentary medical consultations, eye exams with free reading glasses, dental checkups, free medications, and refreshments. Those with cataracts were suggested sponsored cataract surgery, and at least two people have benefited.
Various common medical disorders were discussed, including enlarged prostate, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, breast and cervical malignancies, and healthy lifestyles. To further their education on the topics, informational booklets were also given out.
A total of 184 persons attended the programme, 137 (74.5%) were females and 47 (25.5%) were males. Among the participants, 9 (4.9%) were children and 53 (28.8%) were elderly. The mean age was 46.9years ± 20.0, with a range of 2 to 84 years.
Refractive errors, allergic conjunctivitis, cataracts, presbyopia, glaucoma, and pterygium are among the common eye presentations. Malaria, hypertension, arthritis, lumbar spondylosis, peptic ulcer disease, restless sleep, diabetes, toothaches, infertility, otitis media, and anxiety disorders are among the common general medical diseases seen.
The most prevalent medical conditions encountered were malaria, hypertension, poor vision, arthritis, lumbar spondylosis, upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), and peptic ulcer disease PUD), with a prevalence of 20.3%, 18.1%, 8.8%, 5.5%, 5.5%, 4.4%, and 3.3% respectively. Out of 140 persons that had their blood glucose checked, 3 (2.1%) had diabetes mellitus. Also, out of 131 persons that had eye assessments done, 13 (9.9%) were diagnosed to have cataracts, though the refractive error was the most prevalent eye diagnosis. At least one person had a tooth extraction done during the outreach programme. It was also observed that the mean weight of the participants was 22.2kg ± 6.1, 48 (27.9%) were underweight and 18 (10.5%) were obese. The summary of the observations is described in a detailed report.
The Free Medical Outreach 2021 was a success, showing that there are many people in the local communities who require quality healthcare that is accessible and inexpensive. Health insurance for everyone and universal health coverage can help with this.
