Ebonyi unveils free medical screening, surgery for prostate conditions

Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru

Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has launched a free medical screening and surgical intervention programme in the state targeting men, particularly those with prostate-related conditions.

Flagging off the exercise on Sunday at Izhamgbo General Hospital in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state, Nwifuru said the programme was aimed at tackling prostate conditions in men aged 40 and above.

Represented by his Chief of Staff, Prof. Emmanuel Echiegu, the governor said the initiative was the first state health programme specifically focused on men and charged them to embrace the initiative for better health.

Speaking at the unveiling, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Moses Ekuma, said, “The administration has also expanded health insurance coverage to vulnerable groups. I applaud the governor’s policy on health development across the state.”

The Medical Officer of the hospital and initiator of the programme, Dr Ifeanyi Edeaja, said the facility had successfully performed eight telescopic prostate surgeries without casualties, mortality or morbidity.

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He stated, “The screening and surgery, which can cost over N2 million, will be provided free to eligible beneficiaries, alongside 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 could prevent complications and even deaths.

One of the beneficiaries, John Ogbonna, who said he had battled a prostate condition since 2013, expressed gratitude to the governor for the free intervention, saying the intervention had given him an opportunity to overcome a condition that had severely affected his ability to urinate.