By Dayo Emmanuel
A Nigerian US-based Medical Doctor cum pastor Joe Tarkon has extended a helping hand to Ibeju Lekki community in Lagos, providing medical services, including surgical interventions, optometry and dental care, plus food aid to hundreds of residents in need.
Dr Tarkon is the presiding pastor of City of David Parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Atlanta Georgia.
He is also the chief executive officer of Vital Health International, a non-governmental organization with a vision to protect, promote and restore people’s health.
Medical outreach
On December 6 and 7, he mobilized medics from abroad who collaborated with their colleagues in the General Hospital Ibeju Lekki led by the Chief Medical Director, Dr (Mrs) Ime Okon to deliver free healthcare to hundreds of indigents folks, with all of them either receiving free surgical interventions, drugs, corrective glasses, dental care, etc.
Dr Okon had earlier said the initiative was specifically designed for the underprivileged in Eti Osa, Lekki, Ibeju Lekki, and Epe who could not afford the life-changing services that included eye screening, treatment and free eyeglasses, dental checks with free scaling and polishing, treatment for dental ailments, surgeries for lumps, Excision biopsies, appendectomies, herniorraphies, etc.
On the first day of the medical mission, 500 patients were for general consultation, 137 for eye clinic and 112 for dental clinic.
The second day had 118 for general consultation, 81 for eye clinic and 11 for dental clinic.
Resources
Vital Health International Project Manager/Director of Operations, Damilola Kushimo reveals that over 65 medical professionals, including surgeons, doctors, Ophthalmologists, dentists, pharmacists, lab scientists, and several other experts participated in the mission.
“We on-boarded a total of about 65 medical professionals at the beginning of planning but we had other hospital officials join on the different days of the outreach,” she said.
Other highlights of the two-day event included leadership and entrepreneurship training for residents, an evangelistic crusade and the distribution of packs of rice to everyone who attended the crusade which was held at the premises of the Lekki Council Development Area.
Visit to monarch
Earlier, Dr Tarkon led other team members of the medical and evangelistic mission, including Pastor (Dr) John Emmanuel, Dr Eric Mabo ( both from Atlanta Georgia), Dr Ime Okon, Pastor Ben Arikpo, Pastor Michael Oladejo, and many others to pay a courtesy visit to the Onilekki of Lekki, Oba Olumuyiwa Ogunbekun.
Dr Tarkon appreciated the monarch for the warm reception given to him and his team, explaining that the mission to Lekki was to give back what God had given them. He said: “By virtue of our commitment to Christ and personal experience in the medical profession, we came in here to offer free medical services. Our primary commitment is to help people. We came here to be a blessing to Lekki and its environs and to give back what God has given us freely and gladly.”
Dr Tarkon added: “Apart from the medical services that we are offering, we are also doing leadership training for people in various sectors. Finally, we will also be praying for the sick and be praying for everybody because we know that some sicknesses are not physical. You could do everything medically without getting the right result because the sickness is not physical. That is why we will be praying for the sick during this mission.”
The Onilekki who received the visitors in his palace, expressed excitement for the visits, highlighting the significance of the medical interventions, especially with the biting inflation in Nigeria. He said: “I wouldn’t have much to say but to thank you for all that you are doing for our people. It is not easy because we know the cost of medical care these days. For you to deem it necessary to bring this medical intervention to my community, I want to thank you so very much. We want to see more of these.”
This isn’t Dr Takon’s first humanitarian effort. Last December, he led a similar mission to Ugep, Cross River State where 420 people received medication and 53 surgeries were successfully performed.
In May 2024, he donated drugs to Obafemi Awolowo University’s healthcare centre, benefiting over 35,000 students and 4,000 staff.
