…Provides Free Medical Care To Orogwe Residents
By Onyinyechi Nwankwo
As part of its central social advocacy programmes to the society, the National Association of Seadogs (NAS) otherwise known as Pyrates Confraternity, has provided free medical care to residents of Orogwe in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State.
The 2025 free medical outreach which is in line with the Association’s activities to mark its annual general meetings, was held at Primary Healthcare Center in Orogwe, last week.
Addressing journalists, the NAS President, Mr. Joseph Oteri, expressed happiness over the turnout of residents, disclosing that after a scoping mission by the association, Orogwe was found worthy for this year’s free medical outreach.
Cap’n Oteri informed that selection of a community for the free medication is always measured by the strength of medical benefits the people of that community receive from the State Government.
“During our annual general meetings, part of our work is medical outreach, where a particular community in the state hosting us, is selected. The community should be one that does not get enough medication from the government, hence we pull human and financial resources to better the health conditions of the people”, Oteri stated.
Contrary to the view of the public that the Confraternity is a destructive cult group, the NAS President stressed that the Association has nothing to do with cultism, adding that they left school since 1984, being registered as NAS.
Giving statistics of over 500 Orogwe residents to benefit from the 5 million naira free medication, the Chief Medical Director of NAS Medical Mission, Doctor Chiazo, noted that the medical outreach covered for all ailments, excluding surgeries.
Chaizo hinted that over 41 medical practitioners from within and across Nigeria were on ground to handle various cases of both communicable and non-communicable diseases, giving attention to children and patients with visual impediments, handing eyeglasses to them to aide their vision..
“In cases beyond us, we make referrals to other facilities. And in area of surgery cases, we balance patients payments with the hospitals. We also post the full reports of all our medical missions on our website for accessibility; www. NASmedicalmission.org”, Chiazo explained.
Adding his voice, the Chief Programme Officer, Chief Bart Akelemor, emphasized that the role of the Association is to drive the vision of its founding fathers in making sure that equity of resources is promoted in the society to reduce poverty and vulnerability.
Akelemor reflected that the Association acknowledges the challenges and shortcomings of government in providing enough resources for every citizens, frowning upon the shortage of professional doctors and the paralytic conditions of many health facilities across local government areas, hence the support of the group to promote health conditions of indigent people.
However, expressing gratitude to NAS for bringing the free medication to their doorstep, some of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Chizoba Igwe, Mrs. Ngozi Igwe, President General of Ndegwu Women’s Wing and Ezinna Onuoha Linus, lauded the feat which they described as humanitarian, saying it would help to improve their health and wellbeing.
