In its humanitarian effort, the Ojayajaifia Foundation took essential medical care to an estimated 661 children within the disability colony in Karmajiji community of Abuja.
This extensive medical outreach, specifically targeting vulnerable population of over 370 individuals living with disabilities, was lauded by community leaders and residents for its aim to bridge critical healthcare access gaps and address long-standing health challenges faced by this often-underserved community.
The medical outreach which was organised in Abuja by Ojayajaifia Foundation in partnership with the Slum and Rural Health Initiative (SRHIN), with support from a dedicated team of healthcare professionals, administered general health care, conduct tests, and dispensed much-needed medication.
The Communications Lead for Ojayajaifia Foundation, Yechenu Deborah Tsukura, elaborated on the organisation’s core mission and the comprehensive support it offers beyond medical outreach, including educational, social, and psychological assistance. She specifically mentioned the target for children with disabilities at the outreach.
“As an organisation whose mission is to provide support to children with disabilities, we aim to provide all the necessary support you can provide to children, especially those ones with disabilities,” she said.
She further confirmed the foundation’s target for the outreach, expressing hope to reach as many children as possible given the community’s demographics.
“From the data we got, we are hoping to reach 40 children with disabilities in the community. So far, from what we heard in the palace, I think they have about 60-something children with disabilities in the community. So we hope to reach as many of them as we can.”
Beyond providing immediate medical care, Ojayajaifia Foundation focuses on holistic well-being and inclusion, offering educational support, social and psychological assistance, and therapy for children with disabilities. The foundation also expressed commitment to receiving feedback from the community to continuously improve and expand their services, and called on the government to collaborate with organizations engaged in such vital work.
Similarly, Isaac Joshua, the State Coordinator for Slum and Rural Health Initiative, explained the rationale behind choosing Karamajiji for this initial outreach. He highlighted the significant and diverse population of persons with disabilities in the community, making it a crucial starting point for their efforts.
“We did it because a study has shown that persons with disabilities have far varying needs, for which it’s been neglected for a long time. We saw that giving out to persons with disabilities will go a long way to bridge the gap of healthcare access and accessibility across all boards. We chose Karimajiji because of the population, the varying size, and the nature of disabilities that don’t reside here in this community.”
Mr. Joshua further highlighted the broader systemic issues impacting persons with disabilities, emphasizing the disparity between the 2018 Disability Act, which mandates free and accessible healthcare services, and the on-ground reality. He pointed out the need for practical implementation, including provisions for sign language interpreters and accessible facilities in healthcare settings.
“Now, this is five years after the transition period. But ideally, according to the Disability Act that was passed in 2018, it is expected that persons with disabilities have free and accessible healthcare services across all government hospitals. Aside that, when we say free and accessible services, when they get there, we have so many barriers. As such, more needs to be done in terms of having sign language interpreters, and also creating accessibility features such as elevators, ramps across governments, and public and private health facilities.”
Earlier, the Secretary to the Chief of Persons Living with Disability of FCT, Mohamed Antony, noted the profound importance of such interventions. His words underscored the fundamental truth that health is paramount, even above basic sustenance.
“You know health is number one and if you don’t have health, you cannot eat even when you have food.
The sheer scale of the Karamajiji community vividly illustrates the immense need for such outreach programs. With a total population exceeding 5,000, and a significant demographic of 371 disabled individuals and 661 children, the challenges of accessing consistent and quality healthcare are profound. The foundation’s deliberate focus on these specific demographics resonated deeply within the community.
“Actually, the community is as large as more than 5,000 people. But the disabled people of this village are like 371. And we have children like 661.
The Secretary provided further details on the demographic realities of Karamajiji. He stated that approximately 571 persons living with disabilities reside in the community, encompassing visually impaired individuals, polio-affected persons, amputees, and those with various other physical challenges. The community has been established for about 18 years, with families including both able-bodied and disabled individuals.
While a primary healthcare center is geographically close to Karamajiji, significant challenges persist for the community, particularly concerning accessibility. The poor road infrastructure poses a major hurdle for individuals with disabilities, especially those relying on wheelchairs, making independent access to essential medical facilities nearly impossible. This disparity highlights a critical need for infrastructural development.
Rabie Mustafa, the Secretary of Women Living with Disability in Karamajiji, corroborated these accessibility challenges, emphasizing the specific hardships faced by women, especially during emergencies. She painted a vivid picture of the struggles faced, highlighting how the lack of readily available transportation exacerbates health crises.
“This health is more important. Because at times, if you are sick here, for us to get a car from this place to the hospital, it’s not easy. Before, we had a taxi here. Many people would drive here. But for now, there is no taxi. The drivers here are few. If they go outside in the morning, we could not see them again. This sickness will not tell us when they will come. It’s not unexpected. They will just come. Before we see them, we will suffer.
In the stark absence of easy access to healthcare, the Karamajiji community often resorts to pooling meager resources to hire transportation for sick individuals, regardless of the time of day or night, to reach either the primary healthcare center or larger hospitals. This self-reliance underscores the immense burden placed on residents and the critical need for improved infrastructure and more readily available medical services.
Ms. Mustafa shared a deeply personal and harrowing account of her own experience during childbirth, underscoring the severe lack of adequate and timely care for women with disabilities. Her story served as a powerful, first-hand testament to the systemic challenges faced by disabled individuals in accessing essential healthcare.
“You know, a hospital, before I give my first son, I suffer, my sister. I really suffer. Because I will start bleeding at home. I don’t even know if my time will reach. Because the way they take me to the hospital, there is no time. I just start to see blood. I say, what is going on? I now call my husband. As my husband comes home, the way I tell you now, he will look for a car, he will look for it before he gets. It’s about 3 hours. I really suffer by then.”
She continued, recounting a distressing experience at a hospital in Gwarinpa, where despite her critical condition, she faced alarming delays and inadequate attention from medical staff. Her narrative, though traumatic, brought to light the urgent need for more compassionate, efficient, and accessible healthcare delivery for individuals with disabilities, especially in emergency situations.
Her impassioned plea to the government was clear and poignant: improved and accessible healthcare for persons with disabilities, urging medical professionals to prioritize and attend to their unique needs with sensitivity and urgency. She highlighted the tragic consequences of neglect, referencing the loss of her child.
“Please, I’m calling on them, on others, doctors, nurses. Please, if they see a person with a disability in the hospital, they should go to the hospital. We faced a lot of things at home before we went to the hospital. I wish they attended to me that time I wouldn’t have lost my son,” she decried.
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