Ever since I took charge of Strategic Communications at BATMEDICS, the reception of the initiative’s activities has been overwhelmingly positive, especially the reports of eye surgeries. I have seen how much these interventions mean to the people they reach. But every so often, someone comes along and reduces the work to the forthcoming election, dismissing it as a campaign gimmick. I honestly find it difficult to fault them. Until recently, little was known about BATMEDICS and its work. An internet search could easily give the impression that the initiative became operational in October 2026. When people have not seen the work or heard the stories of those it has helped, it is understandable that they might view it only through the lens of the elections.
Indeed, BATMEDICS was formed in 2022, ahead of the 2023 elections, as a political support group of medical professionals for the then APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Its teams worked across the country, bringing medical outreaches to ordinary Nigerians, including people who struggle to access healthcare. After he was elected President, the work did not stop. That is an important part of the story, and one that deserves to be told.
Since then, BATMEDICS has continued to support health interventions that meet people where they are. Among its most visible work are medical outreaches and eye care, including surgeries. For someone who has lived with poor sight, struggled to carry out ordinary tasks or worried about the cost of treatment, an eye examination or surgery is not just another item in an activity report. It can mean seeing clearly again, returning to work, caring for family or simply feeling less dependent on others. That is why the reports from beneficiaries have been so moving.
The Seyi Tinubu Residency Programme is another significant part of this work. It has supported 62 doctors undertaking specialist training in different fields. Residency is demanding, and the financial pressure can make an already difficult journey harder. The programme offers much-needed support to outstanding doctors as they pursue their training. In their testimonials, beneficiaries have shared what that assistance has meant to them. Their words remind us that support given to a doctor can reach far beyond one person: it can help strengthen the care available to patients and communities in the years ahead.
BATMEDICS has also established drug banks in selected tertiary hospitals to provide medicines for indigent pregnant women and children. For a mother worried about how she will obtain medication for herself or her child, help at the right moment can bring real relief. The drug banks have also been used in emergencies involving patients who are not indigent. When a medicine is needed urgently, the priority is the patient’s immediate care. The supplies used are replaced afterwards so that the bank can continue helping others.
In 2024, when devastating floods displaced families in Borno State, BATMEDICS mobilised doctors from within the state and neighbouring states to attend to people in internally displaced persons’ camps. Beginning on September 19, the response continued into mid-October, with medical teams providing care to displaced people for about two weeks. Drugs valued at approximately ₦600 million were donated as part of the response.
Behind those figures were people who had lost homes, belongings and the familiar routines that make life feel secure. They still needed medical attention. They still had children to care for and illnesses to manage. BATMEDICS’ response brought doctors and medicines to people facing that hardship. It could not undo the loss caused by the floods, but it could ease some of the suffering and remind displaced families that they had not been forgotten.
These efforts have been made possible by leadership that has kept the work moving. The Director-General, Pharm. Ojeje Amin Onimisi, deserves credit for guiding BATMEDICS’ activities, while its Patron, Barr. Seyi Tinubu, has provided support that has enabled the initiative to carry them out. Their contributions are visible in the programmes and, most importantly, in the experiences of the people who have benefited from them.
For me, the human impact is what gives these activities their meaning. It is the patient who receives treatment, the pregnant woman who gets the medicine she needs, the family who finds help in an emergency, and the young doctor who can continue specialist training with vital support. These are not merely figures to be listed in a report. They are people whose lives have been touched, sometimes at a moment when they most needed someone to show up.
BATMEDICS began as a group of medical professionals supporting a political campaign. Its work has continued beyond that campaign, reaching people through medical outreaches, training support, drug banks and emergency response. As that work spreads to more communities, may it continue to spread joy, give people new leases on life and renew their hope in a brighter future.
– Petra Akinti Onyegbule is a strategy expert and BATMEDICS’ National Director of Research, Media, Publicity and Strategic Communications. She previously served as Chief Press Secretary to former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.
