By AbdulQudus Abiola Ojomo
*Conducts free medical screening for over 100 participants
With the rising cost of living, paying adequate attention to one’s health is becoming a luxury for many Nigerians.
However, the monthly free medical outreach from Amal Outreach in collaboration with Iyewo Clinic is changing that narrative and helping Lagosians take care of their health at little or no cost.
Amal Outreach, a non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation founded by a US-based Nigerian physician, Dr Jalilah Folake Kofo-Idowu, flagged off its first phase of monthly medical outreach of the year at the Elegbata Dabara Street, Lagos Island on Saturday, January 13, 2024.
The organisation which was established in 2016 is focused and dedicated to sustainable healthcare delivery in under-served areas and is also committed to community development.
At the Saturday outreach, Muslim News gathered that more than 100 participants were screened for common ailments that have continued to burden the healthcare system in Nigeria. These include hepatitis B & C, HIV, H.pylori as well as hypertension and high blood sugar.
Speaking with Muslim News, a beneficiary at the medical outreach, Mrs Tunrayo Asuni noted, “The benefits of doing medical checkup are numerous. For example, it is today that I got to know that I have a stomach ulcer.”
She then advised Nigerians not to take their health for granted and come out to benefit from medical outreaches like this.
Another beneficiary, Adepeju Ogunleke praised the organisers.
She said, “I am here for the medical outreach when I saw that people were participating in it, I decided to take part too. The organisers are good. I will try to register with them (at their clinic), I like their services. I will also make an effort to mobilise people to register with them.”
Subsequent outreaches to include dental examination
The Founder of Amal Outreach and Chief Executive Officer of Iyewo Clinic, Dr. Jalilah Kofo-Idowu, while speaking with Muslim News, hinted at the possibility of free dental examination at subsequent multispecialty medical outreaches for the year 2024 scheduled for every second Saturday of the month at different locations in Lagos Island, Lagos.
She said, “Three of the nine outreaches that we would have are going to be at our clinic because we want to have dental examinations. There are a lot of people that have dental issues. Dental infections can be serious. Sometimes it seems like a little pain, but you have a little annoying pain every day that can affect your quality of life.
“Also, when people have serious dental issues, you can have infections that go close to the heart, brain and kill people in an instant.
“We are planning to do the dental examinations with the assistance of dental students from the College of Medicine, University of Lagos and also Lagos State University College of Medicine.” She concluded.
Amal outreach with its newly opened walk-in clinic, “Iyewo Clinic” in the Olowogbowo area of Lagos Island has become an integral part of the life of residents.
#Amal Outreach opens Iyewo Clinic in Lagos #AmalOutreach, a non-governmental organisation founded by a US-based Nigerian Doctor, Jalilah Folake Kofo-Idowu has opened its #Iyewo clinic within the popular marketplace at Olowogbowo area of Lagos Island.#Najeebahandhersisters pic.twitter.com/GRMciPzMZI
— Muslim News Nigeria (@muslimnews_NG) January 14, 2024
My mother’s illness inspired me to open Iyewo Clinic – Founder
The Founder and Executive Director of Amal Outreach, Dr. Jalilah Folake Kofo-Idowu was born and raised in Lagos Island to a trader before leaving for the United States.
Dr. Kofo-Idowu explained that her passion to serve and give back to the community inspired her to float the newly opened walk-in clinic, “Iyewo Clinic” in the Olowogbowo area of Lagos Island,
“But primarily, it was borne out of the experience my family had through my mother’s illness,” she added.
Narrating her ordeal during her mum’s challenging period, the founder of Amal Outreach said, “Sometimes ago when we were much younger, my mum had an infection; a very serious one that put her in a coma. She developed a kidney disease from there but because there was no good follow-up system, she was just carrying the disease around and nobody knew.
“It was when I grew older and got into medical school, I realised through my learning that my mum had pitting edema; her leg was always swollen and when you press it, it goes down. So, it got me scared.
“Eventually we got the courage to take her to the hospital and we just discovered a myriad of things. She eventually had multiple surgeries, She went into renal failure requiring dialysis and all of those things led me into this (Amal outreach),” she added.
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