Benin: No fewer than 40,000 patients across Edo, Delta, Kogi, and Bayelsa States have benefited from the Rural Health Initiatives for Improved Living (RHIFIL) free medical services over the past 16 years. The President of the organisation, Rev. Mrs Josephine Kpere-Daibo, disclosed this during a two-day free medical outreach programme held on Friday in Benin. She noted that RHIFIL had consistently provided free healthcare services for 16 years, delivering both health and hope to the needy, displaced, and less privileged in the society.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Kpere-Daibo stated that RHIFIL had successfully impacted lives through various initiatives, including scholarships and rehabilitation for vulnerable and marginalised individuals. She highlighted that other forms of support included empowerment, free surgeries, medication, material aid, food supplies, shelter, and clothing to the underprivileged across rural and urban areas.
“The reason for this initiative is simply to give health and hope to the needy. I was once rejected and hopeless, but grace found me. I now put smiles on faces and extend God’s love through this platform. We are reaching out to the forgotten, the displaced, the poor, and the vulnerable people who are often overlooked in the systems,” Kpere-Daibo explained. Annually, RHIFIL supports at least 2,500 individuals with different forms of medical and humanitarian assistance tailored to meet their specific and urgent needs. She added that their target for July was to reach and support 1,500 individuals across multiple communities with essential health and humanitarian aid.
Kpere-Daibo mentioned that RHIFIL had established a hospital and an annex located in Uroho community, Benin, equipped with doctors, nurses, and dedicated volunteers. “We have facilitated numerous interventions, including eye surgeries, free antenatal services, routine check-ups, and other crucial treatments for underserved populations,” she elaborated.
Speaking on ongoing projects, Kpere-Daibo revealed that RHIFIL had executed multiple grassroots medical outreaches across nearly all rural and urban communities in Edo. Furthermore, RHIFIL collaborated with Ugbajo Itsekiri USA association to carry out three medical outreaches in Itsekiri-speaking communities in Delta in 2024. They also built a modern health centre and constructed 30-unit toilet and bathroom facilities for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Benin, ensuring dignity and hygiene for displaced individuals, especially women and children.
RHIFIL installed a solar power system for uninterrupted electricity and a generator to power the borehole and supply clean water to the clinic. Additionally, clothing and medicines were donated to IDPs with the support of partners, aiming to restore dignity and health to many families.
According to her, RHIFIL’s mission is to restore the total health and dignity of every human body, soul, and spirit, especially those in dire need. Beneficiaries expressed joy and gratitude and offered prayers for the sustainability of RHIFIL, describing the programme as a vital lifeline to the vulnerable poor.
Mrs Florence Oluwajobi, a patient and beneficiary, described the outreach as life-saving and timely, noting that it provided care at a time when she had no access to healthcare. She expressed gratitude to the organisers, saying RHIFIL’s intervention gave her hope and treatment when she could not afford to visit a hospital.
Another beneficiary, Mrs Caroline Okereke, said she had suffered from a leg sore for months but was unable to seek treatment due to financial constraints. “This programme came just in time. I’m thankful, and I pray it continues so others like me can also get help,” Okereke said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 10 patients were scheduled for eye surgery during the outreach, with two successfully operated on immediately.