Former Footballer, Esa Pius, in his humble way of giving back to the society has opened the doors of his hospital, International Community Reference Health Care Centre to the Lionesses for free medical examinations.

The gold medalist at the All African Games in 1991 in Cairo Egypt and best defender of the tournament, learnt the women national team is in Buea to train from January 8-22 and invited them for free medical examinations.

“Given that football exposed me to the world and I consider the women’s national team as family, I can only pay back to the country by giving them health care service”, he said.

The players were checked for heart ailments, the oxygen saturation level, anemia-the hemoglobin level and general physical assessment to ensure their body organs are functioning well.

“When the heart is not functioning well, it cannot contain during an exercise and this can lead to a heart attack or ailment”, Esa stated.

“Uphold solidarity, love, believe in yourselves, be proactive, nurture your talent and avoid distraction”, he told the lionesses as they prepare for the competitions line up in 2015.

Esa played with the junior national team in 1989 and was part of the UDEAC Cup in 1990 in Gabon as left full back.

After playing in the senior national team for three years and was dropped from the 1994 World Cup squad, Esa travelled to the US to pursue a career in healthcare administration.

With a degree in Nursing and Health Information Management, a Masters in Health Administration, an ECG Certified Technician and Advanced Life Cardiac Support Esa has invested in a reference hospital in Buea.

Lionesses’ captain, Aboudi Onguene appreciated the gesture saying the medical examinations are important for athletes during training and international competitions.