When I read about Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwoolu Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat (BOSKOH) Health Mission, it’s natural for me to be elated. I had followed this initiative from the time I benefited from it in 2006. Sanwo-Olu’s is an expanded version of both Tinubu and Fashola missions in that it incorporates paediatric treatments and surgeries. It’s going to be like the Biblical gathering in the days of Jesus Christ when it was reported, “He Healed them all”.
“Do you know that you can walk better? A pedestrian asked me as I was crossing Onipanu pedestrian bridge from Mushin end to the Somolu end of Ikorodu road drenched in my own sweat. He was a nice man. Not many Lagosians would ask such life-changing question. The usual nauseating solution we often hear is “sorry”. We hear this often even when we are dressed in our best attire and clothe ourselves with a glowing radiance. It is the most disgusting thing I hear. We must be taught the use of language, semantics and syntax before our dear country men and women continue with daily abuse of beautiful words.
“Go to Igbobi Orthopaedic Hospital and make enquiries about surgery that can correct your deformity “.
Because I lived in Somolu, I knew orthopaedic hospital very well. It was like a neighbour to us. It was a pleasure walk for the young men in those days but a debilitating trek for a polio survivor like me though young in age. The symbol of strength, which is the lower limb had lost its agility to the destructive power of wild polio virus.
The following day, I sourced for transport fare and went to the orthopaedic hospital. I made the necessary enquiries and found out that it was possible to get my limb rehabilitated. But I soon got stuck because I couldn’t raise the money needed to carry out the necessary test and investigations. It was a whopping sum of Seventeen Thousand Naira (#17,000.00)! How on earth can a disabled orphan raise that in 2006?
Thank God for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Lagos State governor at that time. I wanted to recover my leg so that I can walk better. The dream became a reality. A news item on Channels news @10 did it. When I heard that Lagos State Government was doing health mission, I sat back as if it was possible for me to pause the TV and listen again. Thank God I heard it again. Lagos State Government announced a health programme tagged: FREE LIMB DEFORMITY AND CORRECTIVE SURGERY PROGRAMME. My emphasis actually is on the word FREE. If that word was removed, then my eligibility would have been deleted automatically. The screening was free, the various tests and investigations were free and the treatment was free.
I got more than FREE Health Mission because the programme officer, Dr Dolapo Fasawe was always there for me. In those days, I would visit her in her office to know what next to do. Many a time, when I would be leaving, she would give me #2,000.00 as transport fare. That money, after transporting me back home, would feed me for the next one week. In one of my visits to her office, there was no light to power the elevator so I had to climb up the stairs to the 6th floor. On my way, maybe at the 3rd or 4th floor, I couldn’t say precisely, an individual met me and offer me money (#200.00) as if I was a beggar. I politely rejected it. I am not a beggar please! Thank you. Many people think that you are automatically qualified to be a beggar when you are blind, deaf, lame or have any form of physical disability. That’s not true! What qualifies a man or woman for begging is “mind disability”, it’s that form of disability that dehumanized man and recreates him.
The screening started early in the morning. As early as 5am, large crowd of people are seen gathered in circles. The smiles on their faces, said it all. Everyone was happy and eager to be screened. I was too. I was happy though I didn’t know what the outcome of the surgery would be, maybe it would make me better or worse. Family members who accompanied their loved ones wore beautiful faces and merry hearts, because when the heart is merry the face will say it out.
Unfortunately, I was there alone, yet very happy. As happy as a bird. The personnel that screened us as we moved from one point to other did it with smiles, love and enthusiasm. Screening moment for health mission was a mini heaven where there was no discrimination of any sort. After successful screening, beneficiaries would be informed where and when they would receive their treatment, some Ikeja General Hospital and some Lagos General Hospital.
I was screened and scheduled for what they call Soft Tissue Release (STR). It was to release the tissue on the leg and straighten it up so I could wear callipers or braces because of the damage polio did to the leg when I was three. When I went for the screening, I was about Thirty-Six. I had walked for about 33 years using my hand to hold the kneel. Because of this, the leg was bent and the knee cap locked. The skin around the kneel was hardened and could barely respond to stimulus. And to cap it all, I usually had some strange occurrences when the kneel would twist when walking, giving me a near fall experience. All this made walking debilitating, tiresome and loathsome to me. I wanted a change! And the change came. Thanks to Lagos State Government for the Health Mission.
I lost my first appointment for surgery because I couldn’t raise the required Transport fare from Somolu to Ikeja General Hospital. It was a painful experience. I cried, wept and engaged in ceaseless lamentations. But that was for a moment. Another opportunity came. And I made it.
This time, a brother provided money for my transport with a promise to come and pick me after the surgery. He kept his promise. We were many who were billed for surgery that day. Like magic, people were wheeled into the theatre and in a matter few hours, were wheeled out. Cleft lip and palate surgery (operation smiles), EYE surgery and glasses (Jigi bola) and my constituency, limb deformity and corrective surgery all these adorned the Health Mission and many of us will be eternally grateful for it. Ordinarily, many of us wouldn’t have been able to access such kind of medical services, if not for the benevolence of the government of Lagos State.
I went into the theatre around 4pm. Inside there, the surgeons led by Dr Shoga have to change their mind. It was practically impossible to carry out the STR as initially agreed. The knee cap is lock and doing STR will not release the tissue to straighten out the leg. They wanted to recover my leg so they opted for Anterior Wedging. The involved breaking of the femur. I really didn’t know the science behind what they did. I don’t have to know. I only cared about the result, I wanted to be able to wear callipers and have less stressful movement. The purpose achieved. But I use more than the braces now. I also use shoe-raise and walking stick. The team did a fantastic job with assistance of the programme officer of whom I wrote in my book, The Man in You, that her caring heart performs more corrective surgery than her surgical knife.
Lagos Health Mission is a wonderful programme that bring FREE health services to the very poor and vulnerable in the state. I was a beneficiary under Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN pursued it with passion, giving sight to the blind, restoring smiles to people and making the lame to walk again through the ingenuity of medical science and benevolence of great leaders. Now Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Femi Hamzat have started with a broader picture view and take it to higher ground because that’s what #GREATERLAGOS is all about and beneficiaries of the laudable programme are placed at a higher pedestal with able bodied men to procure the Lagos of our dream.
Kuye Olugbenga, a polio survivor is an author and the CEO of Polio Rescue, a Lagos based NGO.
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