LAGOS — Alimosho General Hospital, Igando, has taken preventive healthcare services directly to traders at Ikotun Market in Lagos, offering free medical screenings, consultations and counselling to improve early detection of diseases.
The outreach, organised by the Friends of Alimosho General Hospital Committee, provided traders with access to healthcare services aimed at encouraging regular health checks and healthier lifestyles.
Chairman of the committee, Dr Rukayat Ajibola-Bakare, said the initiative was designed to support people who were financially constrained from taking full responsibility for their health.
She said the committee decided to take medical services directly to residents rather than waiting for them to visit the hospital.
Ajibola-Bakare urged the traders to see healthcare as a necessity and not something reserved for people who were already sick or highly educated.
“Healthcare is for everyone,” she said, urging the traders to prioritise their health despite the demands of their businesses.
Also speaking, the Medical Director of Alimosho General Hospital, Dr Akinyele Akinlade, said the outreach was a deliberate effort to meet people where they were and reduce barriers to accessing healthcare.
“We are deliberate about meeting people where they are because the hospital is not only about collecting fees, but also giving back to the community,” he said.
Akinlade stressed the importance of regular health checks, noting that early detection of diseases could save lives and prevent complications.
He said good health went beyond treating illnesses after symptoms had become obvious, as many people could be living with medical conditions without knowing.
“Many people are living with medical conditions they do not know about simply because the conditions have not produced noticeable symptoms,” he said.
The medical director said the hospital would continue to support outreach programmes that encouraged residents to know their health status and adopt healthier lifestyles.
He also disclosed plans for a new clinic that would provide premium healthcare services without queues for people willing to pay for such services.
Akinlade said bringing healthcare closer to the people would help reduce the barriers preventing some residents from regularly visiting hospitals.
The Vice-Chairman and Supervisor for Health, Ikotun LCDA, Hon. Adewunmi Dada, commended the Lagos State Government, hospital management and traders for supporting the initiative.
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Dada urged residents to enrol in the Ilera Eko Health Insurance Scheme, describing it as an affordable way of accessing healthcare services.
He also advised residents against waiting until illnesses became severe before seeking medical attention, stressing that preventive healthcare and early intervention were critical to saving lives.
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