ALIMOSHO/Nigeria: Traders at Ikotun Market in Lagos have received free medical screening and consultations as Alimosho General Hospital, Igando, extended its preventive healthcare programme beyond the hospital environment.
The outreach, organised by the Friends of Alimosho General Hospital Committee, provided participants with medical consultations, health screening, counselling and other healthcare services.
Chairman of the committee, Dr Rukayat Ajibola-Bakare, said the initiative was designed to reach residents who might face financial or other barriers to accessing routine medical care.
She said the committee considered it important to take healthcare services into the community rather than expect people to make time to visit the hospital, particularly those whose businesses made it difficult to leave their workplaces.
Ajibola-Bakare also urged the traders to change the perception that medical check-ups were only necessary for people who were already sick or had attained a particular level of education.
“Healthcare is for everyone,” she said, encouraging the traders to make their health a priority despite the demands of their businesses.
The Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer of Alimosho General Hospital, Dr Akinyele Akinlade, said the outreach reflected the hospital’s deliberate effort to make healthcare more accessible to people within its catchment communities.
He said hospitals should not be viewed solely as places where patients pay for treatment, but also as institutions with a responsibility to contribute to the wellbeing of the communities they serve.
“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,” Akinlade said.
He used the occasion to emphasise the value of routine health checks, noting that some medical conditions could remain undetected because they might not produce obvious symptoms in their early stages.
According to him, waiting until symptoms become severe before seeking medical attention could reduce the opportunity for early intervention and increase the risk of complications.
“Many people are living with medical conditions they do not know about simply because the conditions have not produced noticeable symptoms,” he said.
Akinlade said the hospital would continue to support initiatives that encourage residents to know their health status and adopt healthier lifestyles.
He also disclosed that plans were underway for a new clinic that would offer premium healthcare services with greater convenience, including reduced waiting times, to patients willing to pay for such services.
The hospital’s approach of taking preventive services into communities is consistent with the broader public-health value of early screening and access to care. The Lagos State Government’s account of the Ikotun exercise also said traders who might lack the time or resources to visit healthcare facilities were able to receive professional attention within their business environment.
Also speaking, the Vice-Chairman and Supervisor for Health of Igando-Ikotun LCDA, Hon. Prince Adewunmi Dada, commended the Lagos State Government, the hospital management and the traders for supporting the initiative.
Dada encouraged residents to enrol in the Ilera Eko Health Insurance Scheme, describing it as an affordable avenue for accessing healthcare services.
He advised residents against postponing medical attention until an illness became serious, stressing that preventive care and early intervention could help reduce the burden of avoidable complications.
The outreach is part of a series of community-focused activities associated with the Friends of Alimosho General Hospital. The committee also organised a medical outreach for personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, Area M Command, Idimu, earlier in August.
The Ikotun intervention therefore places emphasis not only on treating illness but on bringing basic preventive healthcare closer to residents who may otherwise have limited opportunities to undergo regular medical checks.
