Posted by Chinenye on Wed 05th Aug, 2026 - tori.ng
Hundreds of residents in a Rivers community have received free healthcare services during a humanitarian medical mission.
(Rivers Map. Photo Credit: Tribune Online)
Over 500 residents of Omuanwa Community in Ikwerre Local Government Area, Rivers State, have benefited from a medical outreach organised by the National Association of Seadogs (Pirates Confraternity).
The organisation said the mission formed part of activities marking its 50th anniversary in Port Harcourt.
Speaking on the sidelines of the outreach, held at the Omuanwa Primary Health Care Centre, the association's Vice-President, Dr. Patrick Briggs, described the event as part of its quarterly activities.
He said humanitarian service was central to the organisation's philosophy, noting that the medical mission was one way members sought to help people in the community who lacked easy access to healthcare.
Briggs said the association's driving motivation was to see the less privileged receive necessary help when needed, adding that they were always mindful of those who lacked access to basic services, particularly given how expensive medical care could be in rural areas.
He said the missions were a regular way for the association to contribute its quota to society and support the downtrodden in accessing medical care, noting that the group relied on its own resources, along with support from a few partner organisations, to sustain the initiative.
The Chief Medical Officer of the NAS Medical Mission, Dr. Odoemene Chiazor, said the mission has been running for over 13 years.
He explained that the team conducted general medical reviews in every community visited, attending to cases within their capacity while referring patients requiring secondary care to appropriate facilities.
He described the approach as community-based healthcare, focused on assessing whatever conditions residents presented with.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Environment Technology (FUET), Ogoni, Prof. Prince Chinedu Mmom, expressed gratitude to the association for bringing the mission to his community, noting that it gave many people who could not otherwise afford medical care the chance to be treated.
He said he was pleased to see the turnout, describing it as evidence of how many residents needed one form of medical attention or another, and commended the Seadogs for the initiative, expressing confidence that many would benefit and see improvements in their health as a result.
Earlier, the Community Development Committee (CDC) Chairman of Omuanwa, Ajoku Prince, expressed appreciation for the gesture and called on other organisations to emulate the Seadogs by reaching out to underserved members of society.
He said the turnout at the event reflected the value of such gestures and urged other associations to follow suit in attending to the needs of people around them.