The National Fellowship of Christian Pharmacy Students (NFCPS) the University of Jos Chapter held its annual medical outreach in conjunction with Jungle Ministry on Saturday, May 20, 2023, at the Jenta community in Jos North, Plateau State.
According to Dorcas Fatokun, a fellowship executive and a member of the planning committee, the outreach was meant to extend a hand of love to the community by providing medical care and giving spiritual counsel.
In her words “The Jenta community needs spiritual counsel as the rate of cultism and cultist activities is on the high side”. She went further to commend how appreciative the people were for the love shown to them.
In a chat with a 300-level pharmacy student in the person of Ifeoluwa, who actively participated in attending to patients, she said the whole process went smoothly and the only challenge they faced was the language barrier. In her own words, she said “I had to learn how to ask some basic questions in the Hausa language today because some of the people can’t even tell you their names when asked in the English language, but some of them can communicate in basic English”.
She added that people need to go for medical checkups more frequently, as there are people who tested positive for some sensitive diseases but are ignorant about them.
In an interview with Emmanuel Adesina, a final-year pharmacy student who participated in the outreach under the counselling unit, he narrated his encounter with some of the community members. “My encounter with the community members was fantastic as I met with children and young minds, some of whom were out of school, but the majority of the adults there are self-employed. The challenge I faced, which also cut across all other colleges, was the language barrier, as most of us can’t communicate in the Hausa language and will need an interpreter. But aside from that, the people were very friendly; they opened up their arms of love and their lives because they needed help. We gave them Christ and we gave them drugs, and where we couldn’t get drugs, we recommended them to a nearby hospital for further treatment”.
Speaking with Franka Yagudo, a 300-level pharmacy student, she said the outcome of the programme was impressive. In her words, “The patients were really grateful—that’s what I can say because they really showed their appreciation when they were leaving and they prayed for God to give us more strength; nobody complained about anything”.
The event was hosted by pharmacy students from the University of Jos and from other medical fields who were present to attend to all patients that came around.
Different tests were conducted, including HIV and hepatitis tests. Some drugs were also issued to some patients where necessary, while people who tested positive for HIV, hepatitis, diabetes, and the like were referred to the hospital for proper care and monitoring.
The outreach also made provision for welfare, and items such as clothes, shoes, and toiletries were donated to the people. Finance was also provided for some people who would need to buy drugs in a pharmacy, much to the excitement of the patients, who showed a willingness to go for further treatment if need be.
The NFCPS outreach programme is an annual programme that comes up once every session. In 2019, the team visited the Miango community, and in 2021, the Home of Rechab Orphanage was visited, all for the same purpose of providing medical care and spiritual counselling.
The outreach, which was anchored majorly by students who had sponsors from pharmacy lecturers, students, friends, and pharmaceutical stores who supported them with drugs,
The event recorded over 300 participants, including children, teenagers, young adults, and even the elderly, with over 80 carers attending to them.
Report by Mercy Eji
200 Level
Blogging and Webcasting Class
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