Access Bank plans free fibroid surgery for 100 women

Access Bank’s Retail Banking Team will be conducting free fibroid surgery for 100 women across the country.

A statement by the group on Tuesday said it was part of the activities lined up for its Project 111 second Fibroid Awareness Campaign across the country.

Project 111 is a fibroid-focused initiative to treat one woman at a time, change her family, and by extension, generations to follow.

Uterine leiomyomas or fibroids are benign growths that can be extremely large and cause substantial discomfort, including bright red vaginal bleeding, constipation, bloating, and severe pelvic and low back pain that interferes with women’s daily functioning and child-bearing capability.

It read, “The campaign, which runs all through the month of July 2024, will kick start with a webinar aimed at creating awareness of fibroid among the female populace. And it will be spearheaded by dedicated team members of the bank’s retail group committed to seeing the success of the initiative, against all odds.

“The initiative comes on the heels of the general lack of awareness on the part of women as highlighted in key statistics that 70-80% of women will develop fibroid at some point in their lifetime, but only 38% were aware of the available treatment. These statistics emphasize the importance of Project 111, which focuses on creating awareness and support for women who struggle with the issues around fibroid and its effects.”

Deputy Managing Director of Retail, Chizoma Okoli, said Access Bank believed that its responsibility extends beyond banking, adding that the bank was dedicated to the well-being of its customers and communities.

“This campaign is a testament to our commitment to supporting women’s health and ensuring they have the information and resources they need to lead healthy lives.

“Project 111 was officially launched in 2022 when we provided more than 100 free fibroid surgeries in five geopolitical zones to directly touch over 4,000 lives while creating a ripple effect of positive change with over 16,000 impacted lives.

“This year, we are raising the bar of this social responsibility, targeting 100,000 women, providing 500 women with free diagnostic tests, and aiding 100 women in need of surgeries.

“We have a dedicated website, which provides articles on fibroids, information on partner hospitals, as well as up-to-date information for individuals about the initiative,” Okoli concluded.

Group Head, Consumer Banking, Njideka Esomeju, said, “As part of our kick-off activities to flag off the second Fibroid campaign, we will be having free Fibroid screenings and community health talks across 20 states. We will also have a webinar to listen to and address women affected by Fibroids and other related health issues.

“When we launched in 2022, we had a webinar addressing women affected by fibroids and in efforts to be at the forefront of public support for women’s health in Nigeria, we began the ‘Wear White Campaign’ in July last year during the Fibroid Awareness Month. In this pilot phase, the awareness and education campaign reached 17,266 women across 33 countries, with 156 women given access to proper diagnosis, assessment, and treatment recommendations.”

One of the beneficiaries of the health initiative Hannatu Botsha, shared her testimony.

In her words,” I have come back with my mouth full of gratitude, I can’t thank this Retail team enough. I came across the free fibroid surgery in 2022 and was reluctant to apply because I thought it was for customers only, it took me days to make up my mind and give it a trial. I got a call from Oyindamola Oyebola (one of the staff in the dedicated team)on the 9th of February 2024 to ask if I was still interested in the surgery since she sent an email I did not respond to.

“I saw that call as a sign from God because I was bleeding and having pains, plus feeling movements in my abdomen. I went to the hospital and got all the requirements from them, and after a month, the doctor called me to come for an all-expense surgery by the Access Bank Retail team.

“Surgery was done on 29th March, and I came out victorious and clean after all the scary gist I heard about fibroid surgery.”