By Nkechi Eze
More than 2,000 residents of Southern Kaduna have benefited from a two-day free medical outreach organised in honour of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gwabin Musa, OFR. The outreach, which took place on September 4 and 5 at the Primary Health Care Centre in Mabuhu Zonzon, Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State, was spearheaded by the TY Buratai Humanity Care Foundation in partnership with the Tukur & Tukur Foundation and the Southern Kaduna Aids Foundation (SKAID).
According to a statement signed by the Chairman of the TY Buratai Humanity Care Foundation, Ibrahim Dahiru Danfulani (Sadaukin Garkuwan Keffi/Betara Biu), the programme provided a wide range of services to community members, with the total number of beneficiaries recorded at 2,062. Services delivered included free medical consultations, treatment and provision of drugs, eye screening and care, ear, nose and throat treatment, and the distribution of reading glasses. Mobile clinics and specialist teams were also deployed throughout the period to ensure that residents in need received attention.
The outreach was declared open on the first day by a representative of His Highness Sir Dominic Yahaya, Agwam Atyap, Eliasha Angani Sarkin Shanu Atyab, who praised the organisers for extending essential services to the people of Mabuhu Zonzon and its neighbouring communities. He described the intervention as a demonstration of leadership that directly touches lives.
Community members who benefited from the exercise expressed gratitude for the initiative. Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Jummai Digga thanked Ambassador Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai (CFR, rtd.) and his partners for recognising the needs of the people of Southern Kaduna and for honouring the grassroots-focused policies of the Chief of Defence Staff. “This outreach has brought relief to many families. We thank His Excellency Amb. Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai for recognising the good people of Southern Kaduna and for honouring the Chief of Defence Staff’s grassroots policies,” she said.
The Medical Director of the General Hospital in Zangon Kataf, Dr. Yakubu Titus John, also lauded the programme. “Bringing quality healthcare services to the people makes a real impact. I commend the standard of the outreach and the medications provided,” he said.
Daily tallies released by organisers indicated that the first day of the outreach in Mabuhu Zonzon recorded hundreds of consultations across medical, eye and ENT clinics, with hundreds more returning on the second day to receive care. A total of 301 reading glasses were distributed over the two days, while the most common conditions diagnosed included hepatitis B, dermatitis, eye cataracts and sickle cell disease.
The foundations behind the outreach stressed that the programme was more than a one-off intervention. Led by Ibrahim Dahiru Danfulani for the TY Buratai Humanity Care Foundation, Col. Haruna Idris Zaria (rtd.) for the Tukur & Tukur Foundation, and Rear Admiral Ferguson Bobai (rtd.) for SKAID, the organisers described the initiative as part of their ongoing resolve to improve access to healthcare and promote community well-being in underserved areas. They further noted that the outreach reflects the people-centric leadership and policies associated with General Musa, whose commitment to grassroots empowerment inspired the programme.
With over 2,000 people treated in just two days, the outreach not only brought immediate relief to families but also strengthened the bond between communities and institutions working for their welfare. The organisers pledged to continue similar interventions across the country to ensure that more Nigerians benefit from quality healthcare, particularly in rural areas where access remains limited.
