By Brenda Chidinma Imo-Eze
Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has launched a free medical screening and surgical intervention programme for men aged 40 years and above suffering from prostate-related conditions.
The programme, which was flagged off at Izhamgbo General Hospital in Ohaukwu Local Government Area, will provide free screening, medical tests, treatment and surgery for eligible beneficiaries diagnosed with severe prostate conditions.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Prof. Emmanuel Echiegu, Governor Nwifuru said the initiative was the first state health programme specifically focused on men in Ebonyi State.
He urged men aged 40 and above to take advantage of the intervention and embrace regular medical checks to detect health conditions early.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Moses Ekuma, said the state government had also expanded health insurance coverage to vulnerable groups, commending the administration’s policies on healthcare development.
The Medical Officer of Izhamgbo General Hospital and initiator of the programme, Dr Ifeanyi Edeaja, disclosed that the facility had successfully performed eight telescopic prostate surgeries without casualty, mortality or morbidity.
According to him, the prostate surgery, which could cost about ₦2 million, would be provided free to eligible beneficiaries under the programme, while screening that could cost between ₦50,000 and ₦70,000 would also be offered at no cost, alongside other medical tests.
The Special Adviser on Primary Health Care, Dr Sabinus Nwibo, and the Vice Chancellor of David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, Prof Jesse Uneke, urged men to embrace regular medical check-ups, stressing that early detection of prostate-related conditions could prevent complications and deaths.
One of the beneficiaries, John Ogbonna, who said he had battled a prostate condition since 2013, expressed gratitude to the state government for the intervention.
Ogbonna said the condition had severely affected his ability to urinate, adding that the free treatment had given him renewed hope of overcoming the long-standing health challenge.