On Friday 11th and Saturday 12th of April, 2019, the Volunteer Medical Corps , a member agency of the Chris Oyakhilome Foundation International driven with a mission to provide medical aid, humanitarian support and relief to those in need and in communities affected by disasters; provided free surgeries to 21 children through its Lagos Chapter.
Prior to the execution of the free surgeries, a screening exercise was carried out on 350 children selected from low income families and the following medical conditions were identified: umbilical hernias, inguinal hernias, hydroceles, undescended testes and poorly done circumcisions.
Many of the children with umbilical and inguinal hernias had endured recurrent moderate to severe abdominal pains as a result of their conditions but due to the low socio-economic status of their families, they could not access the necessary treatment.
Routine surgical preparatory procedures were dully observed, all 35 pupils whose parents had given consent had pre-op investigations carried out including packed cell volume, genotype, hepatitis B and HIV screening following which they were certified fit for surgery. They were placed on pre-op hematinic (blood builders) and this continued till even after the surgery.
In total, 21 children presented at the designated center with their parents and guardians and they benefited from the intervention delivered to them by a highly skilled medical and surgical team; all volunteers with the Volunteer Medical Corps.
Mercy Sunday, mother to one of the 6 year old beneficiaries of this intervention declared’’ I am so grateful for the opportunity to have been part of the program. My daughter always complained of abdominal pain but, I am a widow, I didn’t have the funds to even think of taking her to the hospital for the operation. When I heard about this free surgery by the Volunteer Medical Corps; I saw it as an opportunity for me to get help for my daughter’’.
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