The International Centre for Islamic Culture and Education (ICICE) has offered free medical treatment to over 3000 inmates of Durumi Internally Displaced camp in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Speaking with journalists at the camp on Sunday, the Director-General of the centre, Dr Kabir Usman, stated that the beneficiaries were chosen based on the assessment of needs.
Usman, who was represented Dr Garba Sanni, a director at the centre, said the centre had carried out a survey on the various IDP camps within the FCT and settled the Durumi IDPs camp as the one that required as much medical support as possible.
He said: “We also realised after interacting with the IDPs that they had never experienced any medical outreach since they had been at the camp. We are also motivated by their population which is about 3,016, including women, children and adults and, therefore, felt the need to render medical assistance to them,” he said.
Usman, who disclosed that the sum of N1.5 million was spent on the medical intervention, called for the support of other individuals, corporate and non-governmental organisations in offering humanitarian services to the less-privileged in the society.
Also speaking, the Head, Medical Team, ICICE, Dr Amina Kumalia, said the elderly inmates were treated for malaria, typhoid and peptic ulcer, while their children were also treated for upper respiratory tract infections and diarrhea.
Kumalia attributed the prevalence of the infection to lack of hygiene and poor treatment, adding that once the children with upper respiratory tract infection are not properly treated, they will infect others.
She called on the Abuja Environmental Protection Board to help in the cleaning of the camp to make it safe for the IDPs.
Speaking on behalf of the IDPs, Malam Halilu Umar, said over 90 per cent of the adult male IDPs in the camp could not afford medical and educational bills of their wives and children.
Umar thanked the centre for the medical assistance, saying this had renewed their hope for better life and healthy living in the camp.
