The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, has called on wealthy individuals and civil society organisations (CSOs) to support communities affected by floods across the country.
Pate made the call on Saturday while extending his sympathy to the victims.
The minister who also seized the occasion to extend his medical outreach to victims of the flood disaster in Bauchi State told journalists that the visit was part of his efforts to extend the Federal Government’s concern and sympathy to the communities ravaged by floods in the state.
He explained that the emergency medical outreach was jointly sponsored by the Nigerian Medical Association, Bauchi State Chapter, in collaboration with the Chigari Foundation to assist the Internally Displaced Persons across Misau, Katagum, and other affected local government areas in the state.
Pate stressed, “To help those who have been displaced to assess basic medical care, treatment of basic diseases like malaria because, in this difficult time, we have to do everything we can do to provide relief to the people of our country.
“This is why we are here, and we have seen the tremendous work that is being carried out by health professionals collectively, medical doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and laboratory scientists, all trying to support communities in this very difficult time”.
He noted that “Not only in Bauchi, government and civil society organisations like Chigari Foundation and many others are doing all they can in parts of the country to ensure relief to the people.
“Whoever comes here to this outreach will be checked, examined, diagnosed, and treated for free. Today, they have checked more than 120 victims who have been tested and received treatment”.
The minister who reiterated his sympathy for the affected communities, stressed, “This is an unfortunate situation, but Nigeria is strong, and our communities are resilient. We will pull through this difficult time”.
Pate added that all the notable local governments affected by the flood will receive the medical outreach coupled with other state and Federal Government responses.
“In each of these nine local government areas, the Chigari Foundation, apart from the medical outreach, is also targeting direct support to at least 250 members who have been affected directly by this unfortunate situation.
“This is just a contribution. There are other sources, and we call on others as well to follow this example.
“We hope that wealthy Nigerians, philanthropists, civil society organisations, and development organisations will all join hands because when there is a crisis, every hand must be on deck to help communities go through this difficult period”.
In their responses to the gesture, the Emir of Misau, Ahmed Sulaiman, and his Katagum counterpart, Umar Kabir, appreciated the minister, the Chigari Foundation, and the Nigerian Medical Association for their show of concern for the communities affected by the flood.
Also speaking while receiving the minister, the leader of the IDP camp in Katagum Local Government Area, Adamu Jauro expressed their appreciation for the medical outreach.
He appealed for more support, saying, “We were here for about four weeks. We don’t have food to eat.
“We are equally calling on the government to relocate us to our land. There is a land close to our community where we want the government to buy and relocate us there”.
