By Abdulaziz Ibrahim Hassan
Residents of Deba in Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area of Gombe State have received a major healthcare boost, as the North East Development Commission (NEDC) in partnership with the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe, flagged off a two-day free medical and surgical outreach in the community.
The outreach, which was flagged off at the Emir's Palace in Deba, brought together healthcare professionals, traditional leaders, and government representatives, with the aim of extending quality medical care to underserved populations, especially the poor and vulnerable.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Managing Director of the North East Development Commission, Mohammed Goni Alkali, represented by the Ag. Gombe State Coordinator, Arch. Usman Mohammed commended the Emirate, ARD, and other stakeholders for their roles in making the initiative a reality.
He noted that the Commission remains committed to strategic interventions that improve lives, describing healthcare as a top priority in the Commission’s human development agenda.
The NEDC boss expressed satisfaction with the smooth takeoff of the outreach and reaffirmed the Commission’s readiness to work with key actors to scale up community-based development across the region.
President of the Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH) Gombe, Dr. Ibrahim Salisu, applauded the NEDC for fully funding the outreach, noting that the intervention will go a long way in meeting the needs of low-income families who can’t afford essential health services.
Also speaking, the Chief Medical Director of the Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe, Dr. Yusuf Abdullahi represented by Chief Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Bukar Yakubu described the collaboration as part of the hospital’s corporate social responsibility.
He called on philanthropists and well-meaning individuals to emulate the NEDC by investing in grassroots health access for the most vulnerable.
Declaring the outreach open, the Gombe State Commissioner for Health and Welfare Services, Dr. Habu Dahiru, lauded the collaboration between NEDC and ARD, describing it as timely and life-saving.
He urged residents men, women, and children to come out in their numbers and take full advantage of the exercise, adding that experienced medical experts, essential drugs, and modern equipment were on ground for the program.
Dr. Dahiru explained that patients would receive free consultations and medications, while those requiring surgery would be screened, minor surgeries would be carried out at the General Hospital Deba, while major cases would be referred to the Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe all at no cost.
In his royal remarks, the Emir of Deba, QS Ahmed Usman, expressed joy over the choice of his Emirate for the outreach, pledging full support for the initiative and encouraged members of the community to take full advantage of the opportunity provided.
Some of the beneficiaries, including Amina Ibrahim and Mohammed Sani Usman, expressed gratitude to the North East Development Commission and the Resident Doctors for the life-saving gesture, appealing to other organizations and philanthropists to replicate such impactful initiatives across rural communities.
