Desmond Elliott partners Burden Lifters outreach, facilitates healthcare for over 500 Surulere constituents

A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly Hon. Olushola Desmond Elliott has again facilitated medical check-ups and free healthcare for over 500 aged members of his constituency in Surulere.

Desmond Elliott who partnered Mrs. Hellen Akinlade CEO Burden Lifters Nigeria Limited to avail many in the Surulere environment an health intervention scheme through the body’s free medical support and charity, notes that there is no point feeding someone who is not healthy.

“Health is wealth, Madam Akinlade is the initiator who gave birth to this programme,thanks to one of our great leaders Pa Prince Olusi who called me and said she does this and that, I got her number and we did not even think it twice, so I just want to appreciate her because this is a major focus.

“I am like a leech immediately I see something good I just attach myself to it quickly so it is a laudable programme giving service to people and I said okay, where you want me to come in I will.

”There is no point feeding people when they are not healthy and the earlier you know what the problems are you can curb the situation ahead of time and that is what we are doing .

The lawmaker also gave a lead into what the health outreach is all about.

“It is not just medicals, we are also given bags of rice, sanitizers and food, just trying to reach out to communities, we in paddington field in my constituency, reaching out to Surulere constituents,doing medical checks, which is part of a whole medical stretch that we are doing.

“Early part of next year hopefully towards my birthday, we are going to actually do surgeries in some hospitals here in Surulere, this is just a prelude to that big exercise that we are planning to do.

“This is a pilot scheme towards the bigger one which will be where we will deal with serious issues; anaemia,lump in the breast and I am doing that in conjunction with Resident Doctors Association stationed at LUTH, we are working assiduously towards it to make sure that we provide healthcare.

Here we are trying to treat people with high BP, sight problem and all those little issues we try to sort out, some glasses prescribed which are not available here we will also pay for, so that they can buy outside.

“It is in continuation of our health scheme, few weeks back we gave health insurance to over a thousand people for free medical healthcare.

“I look more on health, education and power as the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives Rt. Hon Femi Gbajabiamila is taking care of Infrastructure and others.”
Madam Akinlade CEO Burden Lifters notes that seeing many sickly people to her poses a great challenge and inasmuch as much is expected from government, the well meaning individuals should support government too.

“Here today the elderlies are being attended to they see the nurse to check their Blood pressure sometimes it is always high.

“The ones sitting at the back there have high BP they need to calm them down to do it again, before they go and see the Doctor because they can’t be attended to till that is done accurately, after which they are referred to the Pharmacist for needed drugs.

“Some will tell you they want to see the optician and we have two Opticians on seat for that, the crowd is much so we have to manage it.

“Most of the elderly here can’t even afford to go to the hospital for proper check up, many are even complaining that when they come they would have to queue, I had to be begging them that they should come, the food vendor you see is an arrangement to attract them down that when you come and see the Doctor we will give you something.

“The need to give back to people drove me into this, back in South London I do food banking,so this medical services tranche is an addition owing to dearth of healthcare visible here.” Akinlade said.

Some of the beneficiaries who spoke with newsmen were full praises for the laudable initiative, noting that if such can come up often Surulere constituents will be much better for it.

Hon. Ajao Sanni Shakirudeen, APC party chairman Surulere who benefited from the outreach services, notes that sickness will be checked if more public office holders emulates the good innovation.

“If we’ve been having such privilege and opportunity in our local government and all around Lagos state we will not have much sick people in our environs,today I can nobody is been stressed.“Things are done easily and we have enough drugs, here people got drugs they can’t even afford to buy themselves, malaria drugs were given to some, glasses were given to some having seen the optician, likewise those who are hypertensive they were all attended to.

“I urge the Hon. Desmond Elliott to do more of this, if done once in six months before it should now come up once in three months, because we have more sick people at home, so when this is done from time to time, many will be attended to and the family will be assisted.

He urged other public office holders to emulate the good deeds of Hon. Olushola Desmond Elliott, stressing that this will help many across the state.

Another beneficiary Mrs. Olatorera Kalisto also counseled other constituents not to ignore information that pertains to health as it could help many who are in need of it around them.

“I came for medical check up facilitated by Hon. Desmond Elliott, I think it is a very good initiative because I just woke up this morning, I discovered that I wasn’t feeling fine and couldn’t move from the bed, reluctantly I came here to just have a look.

“I don’t know what is going on I heard it was an outreach and when I came in here my BP was checked, I did the vitals and I was given the right medicine for what I am going through.

“I later discovered that I am going home with something, it is an added advantage, I was just expecting the medical check-up only, but when I got here I saw something else.

“It is a massive and loud thing because we have more than 500 people here to check their health status and I think it is nice.

“My advice is that, we shouldn’t throw away any information we get from anywhere, if it is not useful to us, it might be useful to others around us.

“I say a very big thank you to Hon. Olushola Desmond Elliott for promoting being healthy in Surulere, it is a very good initiative.

“I pray that God should always strengthen him too to continue the good course, because I learnt he did an health Insurance scheme months ago and here we are again for check-up that means he is really interested in our well being.