By Lucy Ogalue
The Family Worship Centre, Gudu branch, Abuja, on Saturday celebrated its fourth anniversary with a free medical outreach for residents of the community.
Pastor Steve Oricha, the Branch Pastor, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the programme also marked one year since the congregation moved to its permanent site.
According to Oricha, the outreach was designed to attend to the “total man”, offering a combination of medical services and welfare support.
“There is a pharmaceutical desk, a laboratory session, a dental section and an eye-care unit where people are being attended to.
“After the checks, participants are given raw food such as rice, beans, and garri to take home,” he said.
Oricha said that the gesture was inspired by the need to give back to the community and demonstrate the love of Christ to all, irrespective of status, faith or nationality.
He said that while it was not the first time the church was organising such outreach, it was the first on the new ground.
On how the initiative was funded, the pastor said that the food items and other resources came from members of the congregation.
“Freely we have received, and freely we give. Our members contributed in cash and in kind to make this possible.
“The event was organised in partnership with Tibilon Healthcare Foundation, which provided most of the drugs and eye lenses at no cost,” he said.
Mr Olugbenga Faleusi, Head of Tibilon Healthcare Foundation, said that the outreach aimed to encourage Nigerians to prioritise regular medical checks.
“We want Nigerians to understand that their health is important. Free consultation, lab tests and dental checks will help improve lifestyles and strengthen the healthcare system,” he said.
Faleusi said that the foundation was committed to giving back to humanity by supporting community-based initiatives such as the anniversary outreach.
Mr Paul Salawu, Care Group Coordinator of the church, said that the initiative was to extend the love of Christ to people in need as part of the anniversary celebration.
Beneficiaries of the programme commended the initiative, describing it as timely, especially in a period of rising costs of healthcare services.
One of them, Mrs Gabriela Jack, said that the intervention saved her the huge expenses she would have incurred on eye treatment.
“In a private hospital, I was asked to pay more than N200,000 for eye care. But here, everything is free. It is really amazing,” she said.
Another beneficiary, Miss Abigail Gebi, lauded the church and its partners for creating an opportunity for residents to access free healthcare and medication.
“I am impressed because many people do not have the privilege to go to hospitals to know what is wrong with them.
“Now, we are getting that privilege here free of charge. I thank the pastor, the doctors and all who made this possible,” she said.
Mr James Thomson, another beneficiary who received free dental care, urged other churches and well meaning Nigerians to take a cue from the church and reach out to more Nigerians.
NAN reports that the outreach attracted a large turnout of residents, including non-members of the church, who benefited from medical checks, free drugs, dental and eye-care services, as well as distribution of foodstuffs. (NAN)