NASFAT Provides Free Medicare Services For 500 Birnin Kebbi Residents
From Ayodele Ajoge, Birnin-Kebbi
An Islamic organisation in Nigeria, the Nasrul-lahi-L-Fathi-Society (NASFAT), Birnin Kebbi branch has early in the week offered free medical services to over 500 indigent people of Birnin-Kebbi, the Kebbi State Capital.
Speaking with newsmen during the exercise, the Kebbi branch Chairman of NASFAT, Alhaji Isma’il Suleiman explained that the essence of the exercise was to assist the people especially the downtrodden, who could not afford medical expenses due to the present economic hardship in the land.
He listed the services offered to include; Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure (BP) check, blood sugar level test, malaria check, free medical consultation, drugs for common illness as well as counselling and awareness talk on hard drugs and mental health.
While encouraging people to take advantage of the exercise, the chairman said, the programme was meant to cater for the common health needs of people in Birnin Kebbi.
Tracing the history of NASFAT to 1995, Suleiman said the organisation had core values acronym HELD, meaning Health, Education, Livelihood and Da’awah.
He said: “Until when you are healthy that you will be able to contribute to the society and at the same time be able to achieve your set goals and objectives, that’s why we said health must be something we must dwell on in NASFAT.
“On education, they say whoever that is not informed is in darkness, education is the key, education is power and education is light. In view of these, we dwell on education as well.
“On livelihood, that has to do with empowerment, we empower a lot of people, we teach people different kinds of trades and skills acquisition. We want people to be empowered and become self reliant so that they will be able to feed themselves and feed their own families.”
On Da’awah, he said, the purpose of being on Earth “is to serve Allah (SWT). Meanwhile, if you are not healthy, you are not educated and you are not empowered, you won’t be able to do Da’awah the way it’s supposed to be.
“All these must be in place for you to be able to do Da’awah successfully to gain reward in the hereafter.
“That’s why we say we should offer these services to the people of Birnin Kebbi.
“This is because, going by the present economic predicaments, people hardly feed themselves talk-less of going to the hospital for medication and there is no doubt people are suffering from different illnesses.”
He said.On her part, the Women Leader of the organisation, Hajiya Maryam Bature expressed satisfaction with the turnout of women for the exercise, adding that the number of women that turned up for the scheme was beyond expectation.
“To God Almighty be the glory, we have been able to examined tests on them and give them the required medicine for their illnesses, Alhamdu lillah everything went on smoothly, we pray Almighty Allah will give us more power to do more than this next time.”
Responding on behalf of other beneficiaries, Hajiya Hussaina Haruna-Rasheed and Malam Bello Leki appreciated NASFAT for what t hey described as special intervention from God.
The duo observed that the outreach had not only reduced the amount of money they would have spent but also cut down the stress and distance they would have covered to seek medication, appealing that such gesture should be sustained either bi annually or annually.
