Real-life heroes don’t wear capes. They are not masked vigilantes flying through the dark alleyways of Ife. They are ordinary human beings with hearts for service and social impact. Instead, they wear stethoscopes with white coats, and colorful T-shirts boldly inscribed with IFUMSA Health Awareness Club (IHAC), symbols of hope in places where healthcare is often out of reach.
And while they don’t fight crime on the streets of Gotham, IHAC has, since its inception in 2012, been changing lives for the better through health campaigns, school outreaches, symposiums, and large-scale community programs.
This year was no different; their heroism took them to yet another community for their annual health outreach.
“We have been doing this over the years, and every time, the reality that many people cannot afford basic healthcare services persistently dawns on us. This is why we continually make efforts to keep up with the project, and this year, we planned to make our biggest impact yet.” Bright Ibironke, IHAC Chairman.
Last Saturday, the Bright Ibironke-led IFUMSA Health Awareness Club (IHAC) administration carried its tradition forward by hosting a community outreach in Ede, a historic town in Osun State just an hour’s drive from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.
When we arrived, the townsfolk filled the entrance of the Timi of Ede’s palace, waiting eagerly for the lHAC team. They didn’t search the sky for a bird, a plane, or a man to fall from above. Instead, they welcomed their heroes, who had just ridden in on buses.
We spoke to the outreach LOC chairman, Sunday Osuntoye, a 600-level medical student, about the club’s plans for this year’s outreach:
“I’ve been part of the organising committee of previous editions of the program for 4 years in a row. First for Ifetedo 2022 as a member of the logistics team, then for Ikire 2023 as the vice chairman LOC, then for Ifewara 2024 also as the vice chairman LOC.
Obviously, no one has the needed experience like I do to lead the organising committee for this year’s edition.
The chairman and I set a very high target for this year, more than we’ve ever witnessed in our 8 years in the club. We’ve both been part of the past 4 editions as the oldest members of the club.
In previous editions, we’d go with about 30-50 student participants but this year we planned for 100, plus about 30 professionals from OAUTHC including surgeons, ophthalmologists, perioperative nurses, anaesthetists etc.
Also on previous occasions, we’d reach out to about 100-200 community members, but this year, we planned for 500 community residents.
So it was a big scaling from what it used to be.
In essence, I’m so grateful to God and very excited about the success. Very big thanks to my LOC members – Kuku Fiyin, Obaniyi Totele, Tobi Aboderin, Omoike Gloria, and others for their immense contributions to the success of the outreach.”
This year’s outreach was the largest the club had ever seen with a team of about 80 medical, dental, and pharmacy students, supported by five surgeons, four anaesthetists, and six perioperative nurses from the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex who reached out to over 300 people.
MediVoice representatives were at the event to cover these historic and impactful days alongside the TVC media team, representatives from the Punch Newspaper, and OAU’s own ACJ. A video coverage of the outreach has also been featured on TVC.
The outreach involved services such as day case surgical operations like hernia repairs, lipoma excisions, ganglion cyst excisions, torsion-detorsion of the testes, amongst many others, eye screenings and ophthalmology services, dental consultations and care, Body Mass Index (BMI) assessments, as well as screenings for blood pressure, blood glucose, urinalysis, and HIV testing and counselling. Additionally, services included free medications and free medical consultations.
The team worked tirelessly to ensure the people of Ede receive the healthcare that every human being is deserving of. While the front end was bustling with activities, a lot had been invested to ensure this project went without a hitch.
Bright shared the effort it took to make the vision a reality:
“Bringing the outreach to life wasn’t an easy task. It was a collaborative effort. It cost us our time, energy, sleep, resources and every comfort.
The fundraising process was especially demanding. There were times we had to stay up the night to send emails to sponsors and partners, constantly communicating with the local organising committee to chart our plans and make progress.”
We also had to travel multiple times to Ede, reaching out to the necessary people to perfect the plans. All of those journeys and sacrifices while still a medical student rotating through the surgery posting were absolutely exhausting.
In all, I am grateful it was a success and that’s the reward for our efforts.”
Over the years, IHAC has consistently chosen to stand with those who have poor access to healthcare by providing and enhancing wholesome health for the general public through massive health campaigns, school outreaches, symposiums and mega community outreaches.
The goal for every outreach has remained to provide access to healthcare & health education which members of the community may ordinarily not have access to. Through this, IHAC has shone as a beacon of hope to us all.
We commend the humanitarian efforts and immense success of this year’s outreach and look forward to covering more impactful health campaigns.
Heroes don’t come as aliens from other planets or humans with strange powers; they rise as ordinary people with empathetic hearts and a passion for societal betterment and impact, and MediVoice is always ready to tell their stories.
Until next time.
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