The Federal Medical Centre, Bida has launched a 50-million-naira Medical Assistance Trust Fund through the League of Hospital friends to provide medical care for indigent patients who cannot afford to pay for services. The Board and Management of the Hospital led by Ishaq Usman, “Sarkin Shanun Jere” observed that there is a large rate of indigent patients visiting the Hospital and are magnanimous enough to alleviate the sufferings of such individuals who need medical care.
The League of Hospital friends, chaired by Professor Jerry Gana, comprises illustrious Nigerlites who have several objectives lined up for action to help the Hospital provide better services for its immediate community. The league will commence actions on major areas of impact on the teaming populace, including launching the 50-million-naira Medical Assistance Trust Fund. The fund is expected to be continuously replenished as it depletes and is to care for the affected patients that are incapacitated financially when brought to the Hospital.
Dr. Olaosebikan F.O., the Head of Clinical Services and a member of the league, pointed out that the fund will go a long way to help solve the problems confronting such kind of patients. He added that the Hospital was faced with such kind of patient’s year 2022 which cost more than N30.5 million naira and that those affected are mostly pregnant women and children from very poor background. He further explained that the situations are so bad that relatives sometimes abandon the corpses of their loved ones because they cannot pay for the expenses incurred while alive.
The league also expressed interest in helping the Hospital move to her permanent site, become a Teaching Hospital, and establish a faculty of Medicine in her campus. They also aimed at re-activating the existing bill on the establishment of a University of Medical Sciences in Bida. All these put together are aimed at improving the level of resources for training of manpower which in-turn improve the level of healthcare that will come out from Federal Medical Centre, Bida to the community and position the society with more improved lives for better living.
