Succour as Sterling Bank, LUTH students offer medical aid

By Muhammed Moshood

Life was never a bed of roses for Rose and her children. All her life, she had lived in a small town with limited access to social infrastructure and necessities –shelter, healthcare and three-square meals a day. Her husband’s death and expenses incurred on burial rites further compounded her woes; this was her situation until she decided in 2013, against all odds, to relocate to Lagos in search of greener pasture. Like every other Nigerian who braved the odds to move to the Centre of Excellence, her handful of challenges did not disappear overnight. Despite her failing health, Rose could only find work as a porter, a job derisively called Alabaru in the Yoruba Language.

With barely enough to survive, getting the appropriate healthcare became an uphill task, especially as the largely ill-equipped government-owned hospitals could barely cater to the Nigerian people’s needs. The much-needed succour came Rose’s way on the day that the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) students, CLAXIX MB;BS/BDS, supported by Sterling Bank Plc, organised a medical outreach to assist people with failing health conditions who could not access treatment.

The medical outreach targeted residents of Yaba area of the state, where Rose happens to be a resident. Fortunately for Rose, news about the free medical outreach got to her while she was busy attending to her patrons at the market. She joined the queue and received treatment for an ailment she had longed for over the years.

The medical programme afforded beneficiaries opportunities to undergo blood pressure, diabetes, weight and loss, oral health care, scaling and polishing, and general medical screening, with a chance to refer critical conditions and free medications for those requiring them.

Speaking on the essence of the outreach, Mrs Remi Oyinloye, Group Head Health Sector, Sterling Bank Plc, said, “beyond the business of making money where we naturally impact lives and businesses, Sterling Bank likes to impact lives. This forms the fulcrum for the five sectors of the economy, which we focus on as a corporate body. This HEART strategy means Health, Education, Agriculture, Renewable Energy and Transportation.”
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She said the exercise conducted by the bank in partnership with the medical students aligns perfectly with two of the bank’s focus areas: education and health. She added that the outreach aimed at preventing the spread of non-communicable diseases in society would impact the health of Nigerians, especially people with failing health conditions who cannot afford the requisite treatment.

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, class President, University of Lagos CLAXIX MB;BS/BDS – Class of 2019 – Mr Uduigwome Emmanuel, was full of appreciation to Sterling Bank for the support, saying the bank’s role confirmed its commitment to the improvement of the health sector in the country.

He said the class of 240 graduating students who have studied medicine for the past seven years were grateful to Sterling Bank for giving them a platform to give back to the community that hosted them during their academics.
“We are trying to detect early symptoms of non-communicable diseases among the residents in a bid to provide quality health care for them on time,” Emmanuel said, adding that the earlier medical doctors detect signs and symptoms, the better for the patient to recover.

Dr Obadayi Olanrewaju, Medical Health Officer in the Department of Surgery, LUTH, admonished residents to check themselves regularly because most people were unaware that they had medical conditions that required expert attention before becoming a significant health issue.
He added that people sometimes felt medical conditions long before the symptoms began to manifest.

According to the leading commercial bank, its intervention in the health sector became imperative due to the increasing demand for quality healthcare services and the inadequacy of the government’s intervention in the industry.

The bank’s goal is to improve healthcare delivery infrastructure in the country through equipment financing and improved access to medical technology that improves health business by providing access and information to practitioners in the sector.
Sterling Bank also provides business advisory services to members of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) to improve quality control over drugs sold through a platform that allows them to buy directly from approved and credible drug wholesalers.
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ACPN is the technical arm of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), committed to empowering every community pharmacist to embrace Best Pharmacy Practices and collaborate with all stakeholders in the health sector to promote quality healthcare.

In addition to providing finance, the bank also supports and invests in healthcare advocacy programmes. Two of its recent interventions are Diamonds in the Sky and Anave, both films creating awareness and educating the masses on the scourge of cancer and malaria using the power of drama and celebrity artists’ attractiveness.