Rotary Club to Offer Free Health Screening

Rotary Club




By Maduabuchi Ubani

As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to commemorate World Diabetes Day, the Rotary Club of Lagos, Palm Groove Estate has scheduled this coming Saturday for a free diabetes and hypertension check up, enlightenment and consultation camp.

The chapter, which recently concluded a Free Eye Operation Camp in Lagos and Ogun States, will conduct the free medical check-up and consultation camp on diabetes and hypertension at the ICA premises located at Palmgrove Estate, Ilupeju, Lagos from 9am to 2pm on Saturday, November 16, 2013.

At a media briefing over the weekend, the chapter’s past president, Mr. Mukesh Bhatt explained that the club took it upon itself to raise awareness about the two health situations because of the alarming rate of increase, assuring that participants at the camp would have the opportunity of early detesting and counselling in order to prevent life-threatening ailments.

“We will access the patients and the doctors will advise them on how to manage their health challenges,” he said.

On what informed the decision to have the Free Diabetes and Hypertension Camp, Bhatt explained: “During our Free Eye Operation Camp, we came across several patients who also have hypertensive and diabetes cases and they don’t even know about it.”

Dr Latha Ravi Kumar, an endocrinologist and diabetes specialist, said that over 70 per cent of patients who attend public health institutions in Lagos State have been found to be hypertensive, while about 12 per cent are diabetic. She said what was more disturbing is that most of the patients were not even aware that they had the life-threatening ailments.

According Dr Kumar, while deaths as a result of these two health challenges are increasing, the World Health Organisation had estimated that the figure would hit double-fold rate by 2015. “We all therefore have to work together to prevent the disaster by determining our status on time and avoiding stress, unbalanced diet, alcoholism, smoking and unhealthy lifestyle,” she counselled.

Dr Sami Tahir of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Hospital, Apapa, Lagos, also lamented that in the last five years hypertension has become as common as malaria in hospitals in Lagos State. “We have to let out people know that early detection and management is important to avoid organ damage,” he said, adding that “once the organ is damaged, it cannot be reversed.”
In the past, Rotary Lagos Palmgrove Estate had embarked on several projects that touched on the lives of the underprivileged. These included free artificial limbs for over 40,000 low-income citizens and scholarships to indigent students.

Rotary is an international humanitarian or-organisation with 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs in 200 countries.