Short term medical mission: Serving the underserved patients in south southern Nigeria

Medical missions focus on assessing the medical needs of the population encountered and providing medical opinions/ consultation, medications and surgeries. These missions are necessary due to a lack of sustainability principles and limited capacity building opportunities and institutional development in developing nations. These mission have led to increased volunteerism of highly skilled medical practitioners from the diaspora collaborating with medical professionals based in the local communities where these mission occur. The mission reported here assessed the medical needs and provided health care to 14 communities in Cross River State Nigeria concretely documenting demographic data and prevalence of medical conditions among the population managed. Two thousand eight hundred and fifty five (2855) patients were evaluated during the medical mission. The predominant complaints by clients/patients presenting during the medical mission were arthritis (28.43% ± 0.62), malaria (28.32% ± 0.91), hypertension (34.78% ± 0.22) and body pains/headaches (34.57% ± 1.06). The presentation of varying ailments varied within the communities with Igonigoni having the highest incidence of arthritis and hypertension for new and established patients at 39.53 and 29.45% respectively. Provision of medications though not sustainable was usefully for immediate care and monitoring of those living with chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes promoting the United Nations Development Program’s sixth and eighth millennium development goal, that is, combating HIV, malaria and other diseases and developing global partnerships for development. Key words: Medical mission, Cross River State, hypertension, diabetes