WRIITEN DAVID OKPOKWASILI
More than two hundred and fifty persons including women and children from Amanuke, Awka North Local Government Area have benefited from the free medical mission of Archbishop Maxwell International Pastoral Care Resource Center.

The International non-governmental organization with presence in Nigeria and the United States of America was founded in 2013 by friends, Mentees and volunteers of the Emeritus Archbishop of Niger Province of the Anglican Communion, the Most Reverend Maxwell Anikwenwa in order to preserve his legacy of providing quality and accessible health care to people in rural areas.

Central Primary School, Amanuke, venue of the event was filled to capacity as villagers were in high spirit as the team made up of medical doctors, pharmacists, nurses and other care givers attended to their medical needs covering hypertension, hepatitis, diabetes, sugar level, and general skin disease in children and administrations of free drugs.

The Chairman of the Centre, that organized the medical mission, Professor Anthony Agbata explained that the medical mission was part of the organization’s commitment towards ensuring that people in hard to reach areas have access to qualitative health care.

Professor Agbata disclosed that since the inauguration of the centre five years ago, thousands of people from communities such as Ntokor, Awba-Ofemili, Mgbakwu, Awkuzu and many other communities have benefited from the programme.

Elaborating, a member of the committee, Mr. John Mozie said the medical mission is an intervention on the health needs of people living in riverine communities and called for more attention to be given to such people.
One of the medical doctors who spoke to pressmen, Dr Joel Onwubiko enumerated the prevalent diseases found amongst the populace to include arthritis, malaria, hypertension in both old and young people and diabetes, calling on people living in rural areas to always make use of Primary Health Care Centres in their vicinities while emphasizing the need for government to prioritize the health needs of people living in the rural areas.
Some of the beneficiaries including ninety one year old Zebrudiah Oyemezie, Mrs Elizabeth Odogwu and Mr Samuel Odogwu were filled with praises for the initiative and said with the drugs administered to them, they are optimistic that their health conditions will improve.