Free healthcare in Ibadan as UBOMI targets 5,000 residents

 

From left to right: Pastor Oluwaseun Afolayan, Resident Pastor, The Elevation Church, Ibadan; ⁠Mrs. Isimeme Preye; Dr Iko Ibanga, Founder/ Executive Director, Prohealth International; Sowari Akosionu, Chairperson Partnership & Communications Sub-committee;  Leonard F. Thomas, Executive Director, Pistis Foundation  at the kick-off of Ubomi 2026 Medical Outreach in Ibadan on Tuesday, 22nd September, 2026. 

By Admin

For residents who had put off medical care because they could not afford it, help arrived this week in an unexpected form: free consultations, medicines, diagnostic tests and surgery. Pistis Foundation’s UBOMI healthcare outreach has moved beyond Lagos for the first time in its 10-year history, targeting 5,000 people in Ibadan with treatment for a range of health conditions.

The five-day outreach, which began on Monday at Pistis Hub, Ibadan, has drawn residents of different ages seeking medical attention for various conditions, an expansion marking a new phase for UBOMI, the flagship health intervention of Pistis Foundation, the non-profit social intervention vehicle of The Elevation Church.

Speaking at the official opening, the Executive Director of Pistis Foundation, Leonard F. Thomas, said the decision to take UBOMI to Ibadan was driven by the need to make quality healthcare accessible to people and communities struggling to afford it.

“UBOMI is in its 10th year, and this is the first time we are taking it outside Lagos and the first time in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. We believe healthcare is a necessity for everyone, but we also believe that not everyone can afford quality healthcare. It is not that they do not want it, but accessing it is not affordable for them.

“With UBOMI, we have come to close the gap by providing quality healthcare to people who cannot afford it, at no cost to them,” Thomas remarked. He noted that the response from residents had been encouraging, expressing confidence that more than 5,000 people would benefit from the Ibadan intervention before the programme returns to Lagos in October.

The expansion was made possible through the continued support of the foundation’s partners and supporters in Nigeria and abroad.

“Our supporters and partners have continued to keep faith with us in ensuring that we sustain this outreach, and coming to Ibadan is part of our plan to take it beyond Lagos. We are excited with the turnout in Ibadan, and we believe that we can meet the health needs of over 5,000 people before we hold the Lagos edition next month,” he said.

The intervention is not limited to routine consultations. According to the Founder and Executive Director of Pro Health International, Dr Iko Ibanga, UBOMI has provided a range of surgical procedures over the past six years, including hernia, eye, fibroid and dental surgeries. Pro Health International has served as the technical partner to the programme during that period.

Ibanga said the programme had made a significant difference to individuals and communities by providing treatment that many beneficiaries might otherwise have struggled to access.

“We believe this programme has impacted tremendously on individuals and communities. Coming to Ibadan for the first time is a step forward for UBOMI, and we are glad that we have been able to perform surgeries with a 99 per cent success rate in the last six years,” he said.

The Resident Pastor of The Elevation Church, Ibadan, Pastor Oluwaseun Afolayan, said UBOMI was inspired by the Christian teaching of loving one’s neighbour but stressed that the intervention was open to everyone regardless of faith.

“This programme is for all faiths, regardless of religion, because our watchword as a church is to meet the health needs of all people without focusing on a particular group,” he said.

Afolayan said people of different faiths had already benefited from the programme since its commencement, adding that the church hoped it would become a continuous intervention for residents of Oyo State.

“It is not political, and since we started on Monday, people of various faiths have benefited and are still benefiting from UBOMI. We hope this will become a continuous initiative for the people of Oyo State. It is open to everybody and comes at no cost,” he said.

The Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Oluwaserimi Adewumi Ajetunmobi, commended the leadership of The Elevation Church and Pistis Foundation for bringing the outreach to Ibadan.

Ajetunmobi reaffirmed the state government’s support for initiatives aimed at improving access to healthcare and urged well-meaning individuals and organisations to support efforts to address the healthcare needs of residents. Since its founding, UBOMI has recorded 48,706 verified medical interventions, with the organisers reporting a 99 per cent surgical success rate.

The programme provides a broad range of free services, including medical consultations, diagnostic investigations, pharmaceutical support, dental and eye care, general and specialist surgical procedures, health education and other healthcare services.

The 2026 UBOMI outreach is being delivered in partnership with The Elevation Church in Ibadan and Lagos, Pro Health International as the technical partner, and Zenithcare Hospital, Oyo State, as the medical institutional partner. Pistis Foundation, the social intervention vehicle of The Elevation Church, was established in 2018 to address critical areas of social vulnerability through interventions in health, education and shelter.

Godman Akinlabi is the Founder and Board Chair of Pistis Foundation. UBOMI, the foundation’s flagship health initiative, was established to improve access to quality healthcare for underserved communities at no cost to beneficiaries.

Since 2019, the programme has expanded its medical reach through partnerships with healthcare institutions, technical partners, government agencies, medical professionals and volunteers.