The Management of Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki Ebonyi state (AEFUTHA) has discharged 16 indigent mothers who gave birth to twins and multiple children free of charge.
Speaking during the recent discharge exercise, the Chairman Medical Advisory Committee of the hospital Dr Richard Ewah told our correspondent that the hospital has discharged a total of 16mothers who gave birth to twins and multiple babies in the hospital from February 2020 sequel to the new policy of the hospital management to assist less previllaged and their babies to reduce rate of avoidable maternal and infant deaths.
The CMAC encouraged the politicians, cooperate bodies and good spirited individuals to assist their sick constitutes friends and relatives by paying their medical bills to ensure the hospital realises money to buy more drugs to treat more patients and expand the structures.
“Discharging mothers who gave birth to multiple births,twins,triplets who are indigent and so can not afford their bills,today we are discharging three families and their six children. I bring greetings from our Chief Medical Director Dr Emeka Onwe-Ogah who made this possible by giving me the directive to do this this morning. I wish to use this opportunity to also ask the public, philanthropists,people of goodwill to once in a while come to the hospital because there are some indigent patients who are here,who are treated fully and discharged in good health but cannot afford their bills. For us as an institution ,we will continue doing what we are doing today. So we discharge these children and their mothers today to the glory of God in Jesus name!
“The harsh economic situation is global and this hospital is not exempted, however it is a hospital we are here to care for the sick . We squeeze out funds from all areas to take care of any sick person that comes here. Most of these people came here as emergency,even their cards have not been paid for,but we are discharging them today.
“So the hospital will continue to provide services whether the funds are provided or not. I don’t know how the funds will come but when you are doing good ,God will always make a way for you. We have discharged 16 indigent mothers since February this year and we will continue doing that. We appeal to both state and national assembly members to come and show some love to their sick constitutes once a while. When the patients come as emergency, the mothers and babies are also admitted. The last bill I saw was almost two hundred and something thousand naira for one mother and when you put that together you will know the enormity of what the hospital is spending and this money is supposed to be for drugs ,operation fees ,pints of blood etc. Remember that people supplied these items to the hospital and have to be paid”,the CMAC explained.
On her part,the Postnatal ward Matron Mrs Nwuba Lydia thanked the management for waving off the bills for the indigent mothers and advised the jobless single mothers to find something doing to cater their babies and be careful not to be deceived again by men not ready to marry them.
She advised parents to be alive to their parental responsibilities especially as it concerns their female children to prevent unwanted pregnancies and difficulties associated with it.
Some of the beneficiaries whose joy knew no bounds Oluchi Oyibe native of Amaeka in Ezza south local government area and Abba Ginika native of Onunweke in EzzaNorth LGA ,both single mothers gave birth through cescearian section(CS) because of some birth complications were among those discharged without paying a dine out of their almost N200,000.00 bills respectively, courtesy of the management.
Mrs Kaosisochukwu Kelechi , Juliet Nwuzor,Amaka Okafor among others turned the postnatal ward into dancing arena to the glory of God and appreciation to the hospital management for its benevolence towards them and prayed for God’s explosive blessings on them for introducing the policy in interest of indigents.
On his part ,father of a set of twins among them Mr Kelechi from Afikpo north local government area of the state whose wife’s medical attention after delivery had been alledgly earlier suspended due to lack of money to provide the required 4pints of blood and numerous drugs prescribed,thanked the CMAC for ordering that all medically required should be done without further delay and be billed directly into her folder.
