Orile Agege General Hospital (OAGH) says more than 5,000 children have benefited from its Back-to-School Medical Outreach over the past five years, providing free healthcare services and interventions to support their wellbeing and academic development.
The programme, which offers free medical services to children aged between five and 15 years, was introduced in 2022 as a community engagement initiative and has continued to expand in scope and participation.
Speaking at the fifth edition of the programme, the Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer of OAGH, Dr Iyadunni Bakare, commended the hospital’s management, staff, partners, parents and children for their support and participation.
Bakare said the initiative initially targeted 1,000 participants but recorded 1,350 beneficiaries in its first year. She added that participation has continued to grow, with about 3,000 children reached during the fifth edition.
According to her, more than 5,000 children have benefited from various screenings and interventions over the five-year period, including the provision of free eyeglasses, ear syringing, dental scaling and counselling services.
She explained that the programme has expanded to cover services provided by the Dental, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Social Welfare, Nutrition and Health Management Information System departments.
The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Mrs Olajide Dapo-Thomas, represented by Dr Oladipupo Fisher, commended the hospital for sustaining the initiative and providing physical and psychological support to children.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Lagos State Health Service Commission, Mr Olukayode Oguntimehin, described the programme as an important intervention in improving children’s health and wellbeing. He urged the hospital to sustain the initiative and consider organising it more frequently to reach more beneficiaries.
Commissioner I of the Health Service Commission, Dr Abayomi Olubunmi Ogboye, stressed the importance of early detection and treatment of health conditions among children. He noted that undetected hearing or vision challenges could affect a child’s learning and overall development.
Parents and partners also commended the hospital for its continued commitment to children’s healthcare, with beneficiaries receiving medical attention and other forms of support during the programme.
The fifth edition also featured children’s presentations, cultural performances, including an Ewi presentation, and the cutting of a cake to commemorate the programme’s anniversary.
