The Orji Uzor Kalu foundation in conjuction with Gerrald Achilike Healthcare Foundation on Thursday carried out free medical treatment for the people living in Abia communities.
The medical outreach which was flagged off in Igbere community,Bende LGA ij Abia North, witnessed a massive turnout of community residents who tropped out in their numbers to be screened for peptic/stomach ulcer disease testing and treatment at no cost.
Majority of the community residents who benefited from the free medical exercise expressed their gratitude to the foundation as well it’s founder Senator Orji Uzor Kalu the initiative which they described as timely and life saving.
Founder of the partnering Foundation; Mrs. Grace Achilike, disclosed that her decision to partner with the OUK foundation was as inspired by the academic assistance which she received from Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, 28 years ago when he was Governor of Abia state.
The Executive Secretary of the OUK foundation, Rev. Mrs. Jemaimah Ola Kalu while speaking on the exercise said that the initiative was inline with the Health programme objectives ofyhe OUK Foundation.
Similarly,Dr. Grace Onyeka Achilike emphasised that the medical outreach is to improve the health condition of majority of the Abia-North constituents.
According to Dr. Grace, the health exercise will raise the awareness on Stomach Ulcer diseases which she described as a Silent killer.
In her words; ” We want people to become more aware of the disease called Stomach Ulcer because the disease is a silent killer and it has killed so many people.
She further said, “You often hear stories of food poisoning; most people narrate stories of how their relatives eat out , comr back home and complain of stomach pain followed by vomiting of blood and eventual death.
“However,when autopsy is carried out, it is usually discovered that the deceased was having an undiagnosed Ulcer disease and probably after consuming what the person wasn’t supposed to consume the person starts bleeding, which can lead to death and this has killed so many people. This has put so many families in chaos today.
Speaking on the end result of the medical exercise, Dr Grace noted that the people will become more aware on the symptoms and treatment of Stomach Ulcer.
She said; “At the end of this programme people will beome more aware of the symptoms of stomach ulcer and when you experience such symptoms you should consult your doctor because stomach ulcer is treatable.
“We shall also screen them for Helicobacter pylori which is one of the dangerous bacterium that causes stomach ulcer . It is affecting half of the world’s population and majority of adults contact this disease from Childhood, when they are crawling and touching their mouths. It lives in the stomach intestines, bitting it and causing wounds . When this wounds becomes pronounced you will start feeling the pain.
Founder of the OUK foundation, Senator Orji Uzor who was also present at the opening ceremony, commended the Directors of both foundations, he advised the members of the community to take advantage of the medical exercise by coming out enmass noting that health is wealth.