PROFOH Fourth Medical Mission

PROFOH fourth medical mission is on-going at Lafia/Obi Federal Constituency in Nasarawa state Nigeria, a few kilometres from Abuja. It was a two-week affair. It has been extended to three –week to accommodate the 23 wards in the area. The reception has been excellent and the hospitality of the local people is remarkable. The team felt at home. Some three thousand patients has been seen and treated. Some routine surgical cases have been scheduled for next month. Besides screening for hypertension and diabetes, hundreds of clinical screening and tests were carried out including liver function test, Hepatitis B &C,TB, Malaria, BMI, etc.

The  Primary  Health Care  centres across  the 23 wards have  been our locations. It  is important to note that hypertension is endemic in this area, as many patients who are old or young, men and women, and even children, have been found to be severely hypertensive. The cause of the endemic hypertension in the area has been traced to the local seasoning called White Maggi. We advocated urgent need for massive Health Education to the State Government in these communities for this and teenage pregnancy which is rampant in Lafia /Obi area.