Steady stream of patients lining up, awaiting their turn to be treated. Family Care Nigeria staff gathered with volunteer medical staff. A young boy is checked by one of the volunteer medical professionals. Inside one of the operating theaters.

Bringing Free Health Care Throughout Nigeria
Family Care Association Nigeria – Lagos, Nigeria

For over 11 years, Family Care Nigeria has been bringing free health care to the rural poor and needy throughout all the states of Nigeria.

Their latest initiative, which concentrated its efforts in Erema (River State), southeast Nigeria, brought a team of 68 medical professionals and logistical staff together for 7 days, with the goal of bringing medical relief to thousands of expectant participants who had come from all over the State to receive treatment.

After an initial consultation, each patient is guided to the unit that will take care of their specific need: dental, optometric, ophthalmologic, or surgical. Those only requiring medication are sent directly to the pharmacy to collect their prescription. The blind are led into the make-shift operating theatre by their families, in great hope that their loved one will soon receive sight through a cataract removal or other eye procedure. A counselling room is also set up in order to help and assist anyone who has fears about what they face, need specific advice, or have a non-medical health problem that cannot be helped via medical means.

Not only are the lives of the individuals themselves and their families changed, but the impact of seeing small children who can finally see, and others who could never afford surgery going off to now live a long, normal and hopefully productive life, profoundly affects each volunteer as well, be they doctor or staff.

Nearly 4,300 medical procedures were done during the one-week period, including 3,276 doctor’s consultations and pharmacy out-patients, 603 ophthalmic consultations, 250 dental patients, 99 general surgeries, and 37 eye surgeries.

Many people who are treated later return to bring fruit or other small items to offer in gratefulness for the care they have been given. Seeing lives changed so drastically has made all the hard work, logistical problems, and other difficulties encountered in setting up these medical camps worth it.

For more information on this FCF project partner, Family Care Association Nigeria