A Non-Governmental Organisation, Fola Adewumi Foundation (FAF) has out smiles on the faces of some patients who are receiving medical treatment but unable to meet the bills at the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital Complex (UNIMEDTHC), Akure, Ondo State capital.
Apart from paying their medical bills, the foundation also prayed for the patients who include, children and women and visited various wards within the hospital, including postnatal ward, special care baby unit, female surgical ward, children’s emergency room, accident and emergency, female medical ward among others.
Speaking on the initiative, the founder of FAF, Mrs Folashade Adewumi said the initiative stemmed from a passion to contribute positively to society and also to put smiles on the faces of some of the patients.
According to her, the initiatives was part of the Foundation’s efforts to alleviate the suffering of the less fortunate in society, noting that some of the patients could not afford to settle their medical bills
Adewumi said; “This foundation was established in August 2023 in commemoration of my 50th birthday and the foundation is aimed at supporting and helping vulnerable children around the world, particularly the girl child and that’s why we are in Akure to put smiles on the faces of some children and women patients.
“We have been to schools, to sponsor some children back to school. We have met a lot of vulnerable children, we see it that it is necessary for us to take the mission work outside Lagos state and come down to Ondo State.
“So we are trying to raise millions of naira for these children and women patients because some of them have critical cases and I’m doing these things as individuals, making some donations, and I’m asking the general public to please join us in this course in ensuring necessary support for children at large.
“I’m appealing to individuals and the Ondo State Government to join us in this cause so that this vision will become achievable at a greater skills, and from here, we are moving to another state to do similar things.
“We have gone to different wards to pray for the patients and our target is about 100 patients and we know that in administering all these people, it will be in millions of naira, so people need to join us. I have a passion for children and that’s why we came here to give back to my state.
“My advice to private individuals and the general public is that it takes one person to take an action to help the whole world and that is the action I have taken today. We should have a good and passionate heart, a heart that cares for the people in order to make a different in the lives of people.
“We are open to collaborate with people, we are ready to go everywhere to make a difference, people can reach us to make sure that our vision comes to pass.”
While commending the FAF, the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Oluwole Ige, who was represented by the Physician in charge of the hospital complex, Dr Adesina Akintan, commended the foundation for its humanitarian service, urging other individuals and organisations to emulate the gesture and said the foundation has set a pace for others to follow.
He said; “what Fola Adewumi Foundation is doing is something that should be commended. There are a lot of problems facing the health sector, we lack personnel due to the massive migration of medical personnel from Nigeria and this is seriously affecting the health sector in this country.
“Our health sector is poorly funded, doctors and nurses do not feel satisfied. So the challenges is for government at all levels to look into this sector. In fact, I will recommend that government should declare a state of emergency in the health sector.
“Government must create a special programme for this health sector, improve funding so that we can equip our hospitals, improve the work in the environment and the welfare of the health workers,” he said.
Dr. Akintan, however, appealed to other NGOs to look into the direction of less privileged in the society.
According to him, “This is the way to move this country forward. The hospital is trying to do it best, we still have patients that cannot pay their bills.
The patients expressed their gratitude to the NGO for make monetary donations on their medical bills and prayed God to grant the NGO its heart desires.
One of the patients, Olafimisoye Aanuoluwapo, while speaking on the initiatives, praised the foundation for its humanitarian service rendered to them and urged other individuals and organisations to emulate the gesture.
