Pastor Andrew Omatsola, the province 14 pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Asaba Delta state on Wednesday advised Christians to always go for regular medical checkup while carrying out their ministerial responsibilities. Besides Christians, he said everyone should always check their health status to avoid sudden death.
Pastor Omatosla spoke during a medical outreach to church members and community people within the water garden zone of the church situated in Usonia area of the Delta state capital. The medical outreach was sponsored by two medical professionals, Drs. Ibrahim Opaleye and Eunice Momeh, from Atlanta Georgia in the United States of America.
“What you are seeing here is what the church has been clamouring for. We should not neglect our health. As much as possible, we should do medical checkup and know exactly what is wrong us if there is any. There are diseases and sicknesses that are silent killers. BP and diabetes are killer diseases. Some people wake up in the morning looking healthy and strong but internally something is wrong with them. So medical checkups like this are very important.
“Personally, I came to minister but I felt this is an opportunity to do checkup. I went through all the processes and the doctors have told me all I needed to be doing to improve my health. It gladdens me a lot because apart from the doctors I listened to here in Nigeria, I have seen those from America who told me what doctors at home here told me. I will continue to work on all their medical advice,” Pastor Omatsola said.
Resident pastor of the RCCG Water Garden zone, Dr. Patrick Uzoka, said the team from the United States was in Asaba to carry out a community social responsibility activity to the people of the community on medical related issues. He said the emphasis was on diabetes, high blood pressure and other silent killer health challenges.
He told journalists that the medical outreach was opened to both church members and people within the community of the church as many as could be available and subject themselves to medical examination from United States medical experts.
According to him: “The medical outreach covers members of the church in the zone and every other person within the community. Before now, we have been carrying out awareness campaign, sensitizing the people on what we wanted to do. You can see that a number of them are not members of RCCG. They heard about it and decided to come and benefit from it.
“Our target is to cover as many as possible, between 400 to 500 patients. The medical experts told me that irrespective of the number of patients that come, they came with gadgets for tests, all the related drugs that cover these ailments. They said even if 400 or 500 patients come, they are ready to attend to them and give them treatment in related areas.
“I feel delighted and happy because a lot of people suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure in Asaba will be taken care of. This is the most common disease in Nigeria. A lot of people die today of BP. You see people walking and slumping. Some sleep they cannot wake up. I feel very happy that the community and the church are benefitting from a program as this.”
Dr. Ibrahim Opaleye, one of the two medical experts from the United States, told journalists that as medical practitioners they are always ready to work with people, help those who are sick in order to improve their health.
He said: “If there is anything I want to achieve as far as this programme is concerned is to improve the health of my people in Nigeria. I have always been looking for ways to make contributions to the health of Nigerians. Practicing medicine is not just to enjoy what you are getting from it. The joy lies in what your people are enjoying from your practice.
“I am happy that people heard about us coming and they are ready to tell us their health problems. We have seen some people with arthritis, hypertension, diabetes, headache, chest problem, eye problem and others. One of the men we spoke with has blood pressure. We advised him on what to do.
“His father died at age 55, but he is already above 60 and happy that he is living longer than his father. We want to make sure he is using the correct medication to take care of both his heart and the blood pressure.”
Dr. Eunice Momeh, who works with Favour Family Medical in Atlanta Georgia, said she made the proposal to Doctor Opaleye who thinks in the same line with her and he bought the idea of coming to Nigeria to help as many as they could.
“We decided to start here in Asaba. If it goes well, we will go to his community in Ilorin, thereafter Lagos, Ibadan and other places in Nigeria. We want to reach as much people as we can reach. We are all one Nigeria. As long as we are able to reach the lives of others, we are setting a pace for other professionals to come out and give to their community.
“We all want Nigeria to be better but it has to start from somewhere. And it can start from us. This medical outreach was not sponsored by government. It is our personal contribution to our communities. We bought the medications. We worked with some pharmacists back home and they gave us the medications at cheaper prices. If it goes well, we hope to come every year for this.
“I want to advise Nigerians to always undergo medical checkup on regular intervals. They can find out the disease they have and go for treatment so as to remain healthy and strong,” Dr. Momeh told journalists.
Beneficiaries including men, women and youths expressed satisfaction with the programme just as they commended the church and the medical team for reaching out to them.
The medical outreach featured ministrations from the Provincial Pastor Andrew Omatsola. Members of the church and the community people within the zone participated in the church service.
