ACTS OF RADICAL KINDNESS (ARK) ARK Global Missions Ireland-Nigeria 2018

[1] “The Health of the People is the first report to focus on the health of the 738 million people living in the African Region of the World Health Organization” and it states that “HIV/AIDS continues to devastate the WHO Africa Region, which has 11% of the world's population but 60% of the people with HIV/AIDS and although many are receiving “life-saving” treatment, HIV/AIDS remains the “leading cause of death” amongst adults in the WHO African Region.

For one to address the issue of HIV/AIDS, one would need to know that one is positive, without such information one could, inadvertently, become a ‘weapon of mass destruction’, yet, this ‘red flag’ doesn’t seem enough to ginger sub-Saharan African governments, such as those in Nigeria, to come up with an effective health plan for all.

The Report continues, “more than 90% of the estimated 300–500 million malaria cases that occur worldwide every year are in Africans, mainly in children under five years of age…”

The report also states that there is a “…high rate of maternal and new-born mortality overall in the Region and that out of the 20 countries with the highest maternal mortality ratios worldwide, 19 are in Africa; and the Region has the highest neonatal death rate in the world.”

In addition to the aforementioned, there are “increasing rates of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, coronary heart disease and diabetes”. According to the Report, “basic sanitation needs remain unmet for many: only 58% of people living in sub-Saharan Africa have access to safe water supplies.” The Report concludes that the only way of combating the above is for sub-Saharan Africa to strengthen her “fragile health systems.”

Faced with huge health issues, NGOs, International Agencies and like-minded individuals have taken on the responsibilities that should ordinarily be handled by sub-Saharan African governments because, the latter has shown no willingness to seriously tackle the region’s health related issues.

So, whilst sub-Saharan African presidents, their cohorts, members of their families and the rich fly abroad to get state-of-the-art medical care, the poor and the underprivileged within their countries are dependent on the goodwill of organisations such as Acts of Radical Kindness (ARK) Global Missions.

There were massive challenges and disappointments on their 2018 medical mission from Ireland to Nigeria. People in government who made promises, broke them at will, and without prior information, but this did not deter ARK Global Ireland-Nigeria Missions, which in May 2018, undertook a second, very successful medical Global outreach programme from Ireland to Nigeria; achieving more than they did in their 2017 mission.

From the 7th to the 11th of May, 2018, ARK Global Missions Ireland-Nigeria's free medical/surgical mission trip, led by Ann Ebere Anaba, was held at the General hospital Okeikpe, Ukwa-East & West of Abia state, Nigeria. On this second trip, ARK Global Missions Ireland-Nigeria had a team of 18 Health Professionals and 12 volunteers.

The success of the trip speaks for itself, as more than 968 patients received treatment of various kinds and 24 successful surgeries were carried out. Quite a few services were offered on the day, including, a Laboratory Clinic run by 4 laboratory scientists and some of the diagnostic investigations carried out in this unit include; Malaria parasite tests(MP), Hepatitis B surface Antigen(HBsAg), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), Retroviral Screening (RVS) and Random Blood Sugar (RBS). These aforementioned investigations presented the following disease patterns and Infections; Urinary tract infections, STIs, Chest infections, Gastroenteritis (sometimes caused by foodborne diseases), Malaria and HIV infections.

A team of 5 Optometrists also ran an Optometrist clinic/Eye clinic and as a result, 272 reading glasses were given out with eye drops and tablets. The disease patterns presented from their investigations were; Cataracts, Allergic conjunctivitis, Astigmatism, Myopia and Hypermetropia.

Ann’s love for children would insist of a Paediatric Clinic, which was run by 2 Paediatric doctors and they carried out Malaria tests on 125 children. 87 tested positive and were all treated. 57 children were dewormed during this outreach programme.

To those who may remember, the first ARK Global Ireland-Nigeria Mission in 2017, was unable to accommodate surgical procedures, but this time, thanks to the Acts of Radical Kindness (ARK) by all those involved, the surgical team became part of the 2018 mission. Beneficiaries of the Surgical Unit ranged between the ages of 18 months to 76 years old and they presented with the following cases; Epigastric hernia, Right and Left Inguinoscrotal Hernia, Inguinal hernia and hydrocele, Right inguinal hernia, Lipoma and Neck swelling.

If, with very limited funds, a group of like-minded individuals, led by a wife, mother and average citizen, are able to achieve such a feat, one wonders what could be holding back sub-Saharan African governments from creating, establishing and maintaining workable healthcare systems within their regions.

As long as there are the likes of Ann Ebere Anaba and a host of people, who are willing to carry out acts of radical kindness, then it shows that all sub-Saharan Africa needs to truly address the creaking healthcare system within her regions is to elect right-minded people into office for true change to begin.

Some sub-Saharan African political elections are on the way, including the Nigerian elections due in 2019, so rather than hope, let us exercise our voting rights, for which many died to achieve, and use them wisely in making sure that sub-Saharan Africa’s position as the joke of the world begins its final journey to cremation.

Watch the SitiTalkTV video for SitiTalkBlog on the 2018 outreach programme of ARK Global Missions Ireland-Nigeria...

[1] Culled from “The African Regional Health Report: The Health of the People”, WHO website.

Written by the SitiTalkBlog Team