209 patients reached in first week of Care Circle clinic in Itire
Posted 4 Nov 2025
In the final week of September, Care Circle opened its doors in the Itire, Surulere community and within just one week, 209 patients received free care. This strong start brought our total reach in September to 648 patients across its two free clinics in Nigeria.
Developments
Patient numbers grew from 104 on launch day to 209 by the end of the week.
A recycling station is being finalized in partnership with WeCyclers, allowing patients and community members to exchange plastics for cash to support clinic operations. This initiative is set to begin in November.
Activities
Care Circle officially launched in the final week of September
209 patients received free healthcare during the first week of operations
100% of patients were new, with no prior treatment history at the clinic
Beneficiaries
One of the first patients was Mr. Olayinka, a father in his 60s who said:
It’s been more than 6 months since I was last able to visit a hospital. I’ve been stooling so much in the past week and felt very weak. I saw the new clinic opened near my house and received free treatment here. Without this clinic, I don’t know what I would have done.
His story reflects the clinic’s core mission: to serve Nigerians who live on very low incomes and lack access to healthcare.
In total, Care Circle treated 209 patients in its first week. Common conditions included:
Malaria (22%)
Respiratory infections (20%)
Hypertension (21%)
Peptic ulcers (2%)
Skin rashes (6%)
All treatments were provided at 100% no cost.
Patient demographics
By income: Average household income was N15,633/month (~$11), typically supporting four people—equivalent to $3/person/month
By insurance status: 98% were uninsured
By age: 30% were aged 36–50; children and teens made up 17%, with the youngest patients aged 1 and the oldest aged 81
By gender: 70% female, 30% male
By location: 98% were from Itire, while others traveled up to 7km from areas like Ojuelegba, Aguda, and Ilasa
Financials
In September, approximately $280 was spent on staff salaries and medications. Since staff began mid-month (including a week of training and onboarding), only half of the monthly salary budget was used.