300 Bariga residents benefit from LBS alumni free medical outreach

Executives of the Lagos Business School’s Advanced Management Programme 26 have offered free medical outreach to residents of Ilaje community in Bariga Local Council Development Area of Lagos State as part of efforts to improve access to basic healthcare services in the community.

The initiative provided 300 vulnerable residents, including children, with access to free medical consultations, health checks, and medications.

The medical outreach, which held at the Better Life Fish Market on Friday, was organised by the LBS alumni (AMP 26) in conjunction with Hallmark HMO.

Speaking during the outreach, the President, AMP 26 Class of LBS, Hon. David Ogunniyi, described the initiative as a “way of giving back to society”.

He said the executives collaborated with Hallmark HMO to ensure the community has access to basic healthcare needs.

“We collaborated with Hallmark HMO to bring medical professionals, nurses and doctors, and free drugs to this community to ensure residents have access to basic healthcare needs,” Ogunniyi said.

The AMP 26 president, who is also a member of the Kwara State House of Assembly, said the AMP 26 executives had their advanced management training in 2014 at LBS and had imbibed the culture of giving back to society since then.

“It’s a class of 40 professionals across different fields of endeavour. We’ve bonded together on a very regular basis.”

We carry out Corporate Social Responsibility projects yearly in different parts of Lagos and even outside Lagos; we’ve gone all the way to Iseyin.

“Now, it’s a medical outreach in Bariga. So, it’s part of our tradition as a class. And it’s also part of the LBS tradition of giving back to society,” he said.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of Hallmark HMO, Adeogun Oladotun, said the outreach was aimed at promoting preventive healthcare.

“We are all better off coming from the angle of preventive care than when an individual has a medical condition. Because it is more expensive to manage a health condition, but it’s cheaper to do things that can prevent these conditions and promote a healthy lifestyle.

“For those already with a medical issue, managing their condition consistently can help them avoid complications,” she said.

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According to her, the beneficiaries are 200 adults, particularly women, and 100 children.

“We have healthcare experts who checked their vitals and blood sugar, among others. After that, they have consultations with doctors who explain to them what their medical conditions are. And based on that, they were given medications,” she said.

Oladotun, who is also part of AMP 26 executives, stressed the importance of private sector and institutions’ interventions in complementing government efforts to improve healthcare access for vulnerable Nigerians.

According to her, sustained partnerships between government, private sector, and communities could help bridge gaps in healthcare delivery and improve the well-being of underserved populations.

Speaking earlier during the health sensitising talk, a family physician with Hallmark HMO, Dr. Femi Ajagun, urged beneficiaries to imbibe a culture of preventive healthcare.

According to him, routine health checks, healthy diets, regular physical activity and timely medical consultations can help identify and manage potential health problems before they become serious.

Ajagun urged beneficiaries to prevent mosquito bites and desist from the habit of sleeping immediately after dinner and from sedentary lifestyles.

Speaking on the outreach, the Iyaloja, Better Life Fish Market, Alhaja Sekinat, commended AMP 26 and Hallmark HMO for the initiative.

The market leader, who is also among the beneficiaries, said, “Health is wealth, and without it, gathering wealth will be impossible. Quality health, particularly for we elderly and children, is what we want. We will want this to continue yearly in this market.”

Another beneficiary, who simply identified herself as Alhaja Animashaun, also urged the organisers to sustain the medical outreach.

“We appreciate the organisers. It’s a good initiative because regular health checks are part of what is being advised by medical professionals. We will appreciate it if this can be consistent, like once every six months,” she said.

Corroborating Animashaun, another beneficiary, Mr Damilola Fasade, who commended the organisers, said, “We were well attended to; I have undergone medical checks, and the doctors and nurses are professional in their conduct. We hope they sustain this initiative.”

The AMP 26 executives present at the outreach include Mr. Dimeji Olona, Mrs. Deborah Odutayo, Otunba Kunle Akanmu, Mr. Abiodun Oke, and Alhaji Ganiyu Tiamiyu.