Taking Home Health Care: Nurses' Project Brings Medicines to Native Nigeria
By Andre Briscoe
Posted: Saturday, 30 December 2006

Dec. 30--At a time when most people are returning home from the holidays, Richard Anyanwu and his wife, Gertrude, are preparing for a three-week trip to Nigeria -- and it won't be a vacation.

On Jan. 10, the couple will journey to their native country to offer free medical care, medicine and health information to hundreds of people.

Richard, a nurse at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, and Gertrude, a nurse with the Monterey County Jail, have been making the trip annually since 2002.

The idea came to Richard Anyanwu, 41, after his mother, Catherine, died of a stroke in 2001 while visiting the couple and their five children at their Seaside home.

"It was found out that she had chronic diabetes," he said. "With that in mind, I thought, how many more in town were in the same predicament?"

After his mother's death, Anyanwu founded Africare, a nonprofit organization that accepts medical donations from doctors, corporations and businesses throughout the year. This year, the organization collected more than 300 pounds of antibiotics and over-the-counter medicines.

Africare also accepts blood pressure testing equipment and diabetes test strips. All the donated items will be used to help nearly 600 villagers at a makeshift medical center in Umueze, Nigeria.

"They start lining up at about 4:30 a.m.," Anyanwu said. He will listen to patients' concerns as long as he can, and he doesn't expect to come back with any leftover medicine.

"They want to be there even when we run out of medicine," he said. "They still want me to check them, but I don't want to check them if I can't give them nothing."

This year, Africare has received more than three times more donations than usual. Besides donations from local doctors, Anyanwu said corporations, local banks, churches and residents have pitched in with supplies and equipment.

"It just got better this year," he said. "We are getting more support because the word has gotten out."

The need for medicine is great in Nigeria, Anyanwu said, because of corruption and the lack of proper regulation, which has made it impossible for people to receive proper medical attention.

"Here, we have checks and balances," Anyanwu said.

Although there is a shortage of medicine in Nigeria, he said there are plenty of qualified doctors and nurses. Some help during the clinic.

"It is now one of the most looked-forward-to events in the town," Anyanwu said. "There are a lot of people involved."

A few years ago, to show their appreciation for his efforts, Umueze residents crowned Richard chief and gave Gertrude, 34, the title of "lolo" -- chief's wife.

"My husband has a good reputation," she said. "Everywhere I go, I'm told that what he is doing for people is the right thing."

Andre Briscoe can be reached at 646-4436 or abriscoe@montereyherald.com.

Copyright (c) 2006, The Monterey County Herald, Calif.

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