Upcoming Events

Beyond Treatment: A Wellness and Prevention-focused Medical Mission to Ozubulu
December 2017 to January 2018.

Fellow indigenes of Ozubulu; As most of you are already aware, the next Ozubulu Medical Mission is scheduled for the New Year 2018 on January 2-5, 2018. The theme of the mission is: Beyond Treatment: A Wellness and Prevention-focused Medical Mission. This is simply because wellness and prevention is always better than cure, or treatment. A wellness strategy to health positively impacts longevity and quality of lives by removing the necessity to go to hospital.

As a community in diaspora, comprised of experts and technocrats from many walks of life, we are gravely concerned that our kit and kins back home have to suffer unnecessarily under the weight of preventable diseases, and perfectly manageable metabolic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and others due to lack of apparatus of wellness.

Primary caregivers and healthcare workers back home are doing their best under stringent conditions to keep people alive and well within their limited economic means and within the constraints of the under-developed healthcare delivery system in Nigerian society.

In addition to the lack of modern healthcare facilities and life-saving drugs, another missing link to good health seems to be a visually-reinforced heath education that could empower people to take better control of their health, one individual, and one soul at a time.

Our mission therefore is not aimed at supplanting the care presently being provided by loved ones in homes and families, or thwarting on-going medical treatments, but rather is geared towards augmenting or supplementing these efforts.  In line with this, our proposed medical mission will be a little different from all other medical missions so far organized. It is not going to be a touch and go approach.  We are hoping to develop a sustainable approach that will be continued at least every year with focus on prevention which will encompass education rather than curative (just going to distribute medication may not be enough)
Therefore the focus of this medical mission will be:

  • Basic and comprehensive health education training including how to perform CPR and taking  vital signs like blood pressure, body temperature and weight.
  • Training and demonstration of patient care and management by dedicated care givers usually family members
  • Instruction and teaching on the dilemma of medication management, choice of treatment and therapy in a culture rooted in over-exaggerated mythology and superstition.
  • Training on Nutrition as a strategy for wellness and prevention by promoting low sodium, low sugar, low fat and high fiber diets, giving examples with our local staple foods.  Also emphasizing on the advantage of resisting the urge to take all their produce to the market but rather consume some of what they produced to achieve balanced diet.
  • Instruct them on the public health imperative of environmental sanitation to combat malaria parasite which is in an epidemic level and personal hygiene to control endemic cholera and typhoid fever.
  • Encourage exercise regimen and lifestyle changes “weight control” for improved health and wellbeing.
  • Debunk the myth that cataracts ultimately lead to blindness or permanent loss of vision

I am excited by the commitments made so far by our indigenes here in the United States who are Doctors, Pharmacists, Nurses, Medical laboratory scientists, Social workers, nutritionists, engineers and other healthcare professionals to the success of the proposed medical mission. I encourage others who are not yet on board to pledge their time, material and other resources towards the success of this mission. Those working in hospitals, nutritional and the pharmaceutical industries may be able to solicit or mobilize equipment and life-saving drugs and other supplies to bring to bear on this crucial mission.  A lot of volunteers are needed not only medical professionals; everybody who cares for the wellbeing of our people is invited to join this train. It is going to be a fun filled activity and family reunion.  Umu-Ozubulu in USA have arrived by the special grace of God. 

I encourage each one of us who are experts in the topics listed above in bullet-points and interested to address our people on any of the topics during the medical mission to sign up with the Medical committee. Those in education who are able to bring along projectors, audio-visual aids and other presentation materials are encouraged to do so.  Please let the committee know on time how you want to fit in and you will be accommodated.  Remember we have started planning and we are waiting for you to join.  

I know we have not yet built our long-proposed town-hall, civic center or library with enough seating capacity. This would have been a perfect forum for these presentations but that discussion should be reserved for another day. Hopefully, when we get to Ozubulu for the medical mission, we can use any of our centrally located local churches as a rallying point or move from one location to another.

Those who have other ideas or suggestions for the successful delivery of this mission can send it to any of the committee members: 

  

    

Chief Dr. Bernard Okwelogu. Coordinator
Dr. Albert Okonkwo Secretary
Dr. Joseph Anigbogu Member
Ositadimma Nwokolo      Member
Ndubisi Oguejiofor Member
Ichie Aloy Ikwuezunma Member
Engr. Afam Oguonu Member
Dr. Ajumobi Udechukwu Member
Dr. Jerry Okolo Member

You will be receiving calls from members of the medical committee to solicit for funds.  Please do not turn them away show a little kindness by supporting this worthy cause.  No amount is too small or too much.  Just think through this project and allow our everlasting Father to minister to you about how much you will contribute.  I assure you that the blessing of our lord will be upon you and your families as you donate generously.

This is the time for us to give back to our ground zero.  The list of volunteers is already growing and the committee will start publishing names of those who have signed up.
 I pray that Almighty God will give you the opportunity and strength to serve.

Thanks for your involvement,

Yours in Service,
Godfrey Echendu