IMAN, JAIZ provide health care to internally displaced persons

Islamic Medical Association of Nigeria and Jaiz Zakat and Waqf have perfected arrangement for offering of free medical services to inmates of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps across Lagos State throughout this holy month of Ramadan. The exercise commenced last week with the Oniru Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp with donation of drugs, clothing and food to the inmates of the camp.

The Chairman Islamic Medical Association of Nigeria (IMAN), Dr. Mustafa Alimi, said the gesture was part of the organization’s usual practice to serve the needy with health facilities.

“We found out that there is a camp of people who are internally displaced at Oniru here in Lagos State and we felt that they will be in need of us,” he said.
Alimi added: “We are giving free food, cloth and we are going to deworm and screen them. For the feeding aspect of the programme, we are in partnership with JAIZ Zakat & Waqf organization because it is not in the tradition of Islamic Medical Association of Nigeria to distribute food to people but we realised that they are both in need of food and drugs.”

Member of Lagos branch of IMAN, Dr. Abdulah Lawal Iyanda described the gesture as part of series of programme IMAN has for 2017 Ramadan. “At the Internal Displace Person Camp Oniru, we conducted free medical screening for those who have medical issues and also provided meal for them as we all know we are in fasting period, by the time they break their fast, they would have some thing to eat.

“We are also going to deworm all the children in the camp, age five below, and also conduct test for the adult at the camp as well. Test like blood pressure, random blood sugar level and those who are hypertensive or diabetics will be given appropriate treatment. And counsel them base on the peculiarities or condition we identify in them.” he said.

The programme is scheduled to hold at five different locations in Lagos State during the period of Ramadan, such as Idi Araba and Ikoyi prison among others.
“We choose Oniru IDP camp because we felt, we should also offer them something as part of our contribution to the welfare of the internal displace person in Nigeria,” he said.

The Treasurer, IMAN, Hajia Afsor Agbabiake said, It is a tradition of Nigeria Medical Association of Nigeria, Lagos branch, to offer free health services to communities.

“Every weekend during Ramadan we are going to different communities to render free medical services to people. At oniru IDP camp, we are going to attend to at least 2,000 Muslims and non Muslims”.

She said, free medical services will be rendered to people; test will be conducted on common ailment like hypertension, diabetics, HIV because most people are not aware of their conditions.

She urged people to take their health serious, adding that the present economic situation in the country should not be a detriment to good health. “People should go for routine checkup, because that is lacking, we don’t go for routine checkup. A lot of people are working corpse, they are hypertensive and they don’t know, some are HIV positive and they don’t know people should take care of their health and go for routine check up every 6 months”.

One of the leaders in the IDP camp, Ibrahim Danlami said “due to the crisis in the North East, we decided to come together and form association to take care of ourselves particularly the internally displaced that came to Lagos, we give them where they can manage.”

Danlami said, “With the help of some non governmental organization like IMAN, we are getting relief but from the government nothing is coming but we are still expecting because our people are suffering.”

“Apart from the free medical treatment we are receiving from IMAN, we don’t have any other medical facilities on ground. If something happen to one of us the leaders contribute money and take the victim to nearest clinic and in most case some of our people have died as a result of giving birth or serious health challenges due to the fact that the government did not recognize IDP camp in the South West like other IDP camp in the North East. In Lagos alone we have more than 200,000 internal displace person”.