Residents of Makoko community in central Lagos enjoyed free healthcare services recently, during a health programme by beverage giant, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited in partnership with the United States Consulate, Lagos.
The two-day health outreach which held at the Makoko Anglican Primary school was managed by civil society organization, the George Kerry Life Foundation and involved free medical check-ups, diagnosis and treatment of common ailments as well as free screening for cervical and breast cancer.
Over 450 residents, mostly women and children, benefited from the health services provided by trained medical personnel from the Consulate as well as some Nigerian health volunteers.
Speaking on the partnership, Emeka Mba, the Community Affairs Manager, Coca-Cola Nigeria remarked that the outreach was in line with Coca-Cola’s commitment to promote wellbeing of the communities in which it operates through health and wellness initiatives. He called for increased Public Private Partnership as means to scale the impact of such interventions.
On his part, the Vice Consul U.S. Consulate and Coordinator of the outreach, Jeffrey Willey reaffirmed the Consulate’s determination to partner with relevant stakeholders to bridge the gap in healthcare delivery.
Willey said, “This year, we secured a grant from the J. Kirby Simon Foreign Service Trust to run this outreach. We also got funds from our partner, Coca-Cola, which has been very supportive of the drive. We are excited that through the outreach, we are contributing to the wellbeing of the community we live in.”
The outreach had in attendance Senator Oluremi Tinubu who commended the US Consulate, Coca-Cola and the George Kerry Life Foundation for complementing government efforts in improving the lives of citizens.
Senator Tinubu said, “While the Lagos State government continues to work on meeting all the health needs of the people, we appreciate the gestures of the US Consulate, Coca-Cola and the George Kerry Foundation for stepping in to help complement our efforts.”
The Outreach Manager and Founder, George Kerry Life Foundation, Dr. Matilder Kerry-Osazuwa expressed hope that the Outreach program would go a long way to improving the health status of members of the community.
Speaking at the outreach, Hon. Ayodeji Abdulrauf, Secretary, Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA) who represented Mrs. Bola Lawal Olumegbon, the Executive Secretary, Yaba LCDA thanked organizers and volunteers of the outreach, stating that by the act, government was more challenged to galvanize resources to cater for the needs of the people within the community
