For eight days, the towns and villages of Eket, ONNA, Esit-Eket, and Ibeno came alive with an unusual sense of hope. Hospitals that once echoed with the groans of untreated patients became theaters of healing, joy, and gratitude, as Rep. Okpolupm Etteh brought a life-changing free medical and ophthalmological outreach to his constituents.
The numbers tell only part of the story: 1,523 medical and surgical patients consulted, 926 eye consultations, 1,618 laboratory tests, 914 reading glasses dispensed, 57 eye surgeries, and 246 general surgeries. Behind these statistics are faces, families, and stories of renewed hope.
Take, for instance, an elderly farmer in Esit-Eket who had lived for years with blurred vision. For him, the free reading glasses provided at the Cottage Hospital, Ekpene Obo meant more than improved eyesight, it meant seeing the faces of his grandchildren clearly again. Or the young mother from ONNA who had battled a painful ovarian cyst for years; after a free surgery at General Hospital, Awa-Iman, she left with tears of relief, whispering prayers of gratitude.
The outreach was not confined to a single spot. It began at the Cottage Hospital, Upenekang in Ibeno LGA, moved through Esit-Eket and ONNA, and finally concluded at the Immanuel General Hospital, Eket LGA. At each stop, the story was the same: long queues of hopeful patients, medical teams working tirelessly, and smiles of healing at the end of each day.
The range of surgical interventions was extensive: myomectomy, herniorrhaphy, exploratory laparotomy, hydrocelectomy, vaginal and abdominal hysterectomy, appendectomy, lumpectomy, intestinal obstruction, uv-prolapse, and even complex ovarian surgeries. For many of the beneficiaries, these were procedures they never imagined they could afford in their lifetime.
Rep. Etteh, visibly touched by the impact, described the outreach as a fulfillment of his promise to place the wellbeing of his people at the center of his representation.
“Healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Seeing the joy and relief on the faces of our people is the greatest reward. This outreach is not just about medicine, it is about giving people a new lease of life,” he said.
Medical experts, led by Dr. Unanam Ekaette, who participated lauded the initiative as one of the most impactful health interventions in the constituency in recent years. They emphasized that beyond treatment, the outreach created awareness about preventive healthcare and rekindled trust in public hospitals.
As the curtains drew on the eight-day medical outreach, one thing was certain: the legacy of this outreach would not be measured only in numbers but in the transformed lives of men, women, and children who walked in with despair and walked out with renewed strength.
For the residents of Eket/ONNA/Esit-Eket/Ibeno, Etteh’s gesture will not be remembered merely as a political programme but as a testament of compassion, leadership, and the power of healthcare to change lives.
