Max
07-15-2002, 05:28 PM
LUTH Seeks Funds for Indigent Patients
This Day (Lagos)
NEWS
July 4, 2002
Posted to the web July 9, 2002
By Andrew Ahiante
Lagos
Parades heart-touching abandoned patients
Their situation is pathetic, but what immediately comes to mind is a gory picture of government absence in the life of the citizenry.
All over the Wards of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) are patients, children, young people and even the aged, who are unable to pay their medical bills.
While some have remained there for years, being too poor to meet hospital bills, some have been abandoned by relations and parents for the same reason of inability to pay medical bills.
Unable to cope with the growing phenomenon anymore, the hospital last weekend launched what it termed: "Friends of the Needy Fund".
The hospital did not only have on display pictures of such patients, they ensured that many of them were physically present to attest to the difficult situation it has found itself.
The patients vary from children to adults, males and females and on their faces were obvious display of sadness and agony. They wore forlorn looks,revealing complete lost of hope in life.
As they tried to tell their experiences, and how they have become permanent residents of LUTH, they were full of praise for the hospital management, explaining that they have till date survived on its good will.
Flagging off their gory tales of woe, Chidima Sunday, 16, said he was abandoned as a patient in the hospital by her parents at infancy.
He does not know any of his parents or relatives, except the hospital staff. Sunday is suffering from paraplegia. He was abandoned in Ward E, but thanks to the hospital management and some good-spirited individuals, he has enrolled at a disabled school in Surulere, Lagos. But he needs a lot of money for upkeep.
The case of John James Ubong is more pathetic. John, 10, is in Ward D2. He was said to have been brought there with his mother two weeks ago as victims of kerosene explosion. They suffered severe burns all over. While his mother died a week after, Sunday has remained alive, surviving only on the goodwill of the hospital management.
The oldest of the indigent patients is a 65-year old Madam Stella Amusu. Amusu, who is in Ward A4, has been on admission in the hospital since March 16, 2002. She is suffering from acute renal failure and congestive cardiac failure. She is said to be owing LUTH a total of N42,000,having only paid her initial bill of N6,000.
There is Helen Irabor. Helen, 37, has been in the hospital since November 11, 2001. She is in Ward B1 and her bill currently stands at N854,000.
Similarly, Festus Femi, 25, was admitted on February 18, 2002. His case is amputation of the penis, following an industrial accident. He is owing the hospital N71,900. His case is, however, not over as yet as he is still under close observation by doctors.
There is Nasir Emmanuel. Emmanuel, 6, is in Ward E4. He was admitted on February 7, 2002, and had knee amputation. He is owing the hospital N43,900.
Chibuzor Benedict is in Ward E2. Benedict was admitted April, 2002 for knee amputation, he owes the hospital N249,000.
Baby Salawu, born to a known sickler mother through emergency caesarian section, was admitted on April 4, 2002.
His mother died a month ago, leaving the child to the care of the hospital. The grand mother was showing up immediately after the incident to see the baby but has since stopped to avoid being asked to pay the accumulated bill of N17,806.
Others include Tiamiyu Mana and Lasisi Yusuf. Both Mana and Lasisi are suffering from meningitis. While Mana, a year old, is owing N8,500, six-year old Lasisi is owing N7,000.
Also on the list is Master Azeez Balogun. Balogun, 8, was admitted in 1997, suffering from ruptured bladder. He was consequently abandoned in Ward E4 by parents and relatives to the care of LUTH. His bill is unquantifiable.
Like in other cases, abandoned spinal cord injury patients are also all over the wards. Frank Okosun and Tosin Aina are two of such patients. While Frank was admitted in May 21, 2002, Tosin came in two weeks ago. They are both bedridden. Frank, 36, is owing N39,200, while Tosin owes N129,000. They have only been able to afford their initial N6,000 deposit. There are many more, including Dada Muyiwa, 42, and Akpan Monday.
Akpan 25, in Ward E2, spoke for other patients and called for assistant for them all. He has flap rotation, open reduction and maternal fixation for fractured tibia in the words of his doctor.
Speaking at the occasion,Professor(Chief) James Obi,Chairman of the LUTH Management Board,said the launching of the fund is meant to take care of indident patients.
In his words:"We are introducing "Friends of the Needy Fund" to generate funds for these patients.
"The idea of taking care of indigent patients is not a new thing in LUTH". Before the present Management Board, Obi said, there was what was known as ALANU FUND.
However, the situation of the fund became so precarious to the extent that there was a time it was as low as N500.00.
After due consultation with management, the board, he said, decided to carry out a total reactivation of the ALANU FUND by giving it a new name, do a formal re-launch, and constitute a Board of Trustees to run the fund in such a way that it would never be in the red again.
Happy at the successful hosting of the launch, he assured that the fund would be properly managed and judiciously used for the purpose it was meant to serve, hinging his optimism on those appointed to run it. Describing the board of trustees as a composition of upright people", he said members include Dr. (Chief) J. D. Soleye, Professor (Mrs.) Oyin Elebute, Professor Tolu Odukoya, Mr. O. A. O. Onabowale, and Dr. (Mrs.) Bimbo Sowande.
Others are Mrs. Remi Oyewole-Makele, Dr. Idowu Araoyinbo, Mr. Y. A. Olakitan and Mrs. O. K. Doherty.
On his part, the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Professor Onatolu Odukoya, noted that one could be rich or poor, young or old, but bound to fall sick at one time or the other as circumstances are not static. Sicknesses in this environment, he said, results from "either age changes or exposure to our sometimes hostile physical environment".
In this regard, since people must be sick, he said, they must seek treatment and going for treatment requires that medical bills would have to be paid.
Very unfortunately in our situation, he said, while some people have the financial wherewithal to meet their health needs, thousands of fellow Nigerians are unable to do so. "When on admission in hospital, some Nigerians can hardly afford as little as N1,000, to pay their medical bills", he said.
Faced with this situation, Odukoya said "apart from its responsibility of delivering quality healthcare, as a foremost tertiary institution, the Lagos University Teaching Hospital has also been confronted with rendering virtually free services or writing off bills of indigent Nigerians, who are financially incapable of coping with their medical bills".
LUTH has been doing this, and will continue to do so as part of her social responsibility to the nation", he further assured.
In some other cases, the CMD said the hospital discharges patients after making them to give an undertaking on how such unpaid bills would be settled.
He puts such unpaid bills backed by undertakings at N2 million in the year 2000 and 2001 each.
While these undertakings are given, he said only an insignificant percentage of the debts are ever recovered with the rest usually written off as bad debts.
"It is regrettable that even now our Wards are littered with genuinely indigent patients. You will all agree with me that these patients need our help financially.
"While it is the desire of LUTH to continue to render excellent medical care services to these patients, who also deserve to live, and to be cured of their ailments, medical consumables and drugs administered on these patients and the food they eat require funds for replenishment.
"Writing off medical bills of these patients as bad debts, therefore, means loss of funds, which LUTH cannot afford nowadays, particularly now that government funding of overhead cost is grossly inadequate and government expects each institution to generate funds for self-sustenance", Odukoya told the large gathering, now all moved to pity. He then appealed to everybody, philanthropists, corporate bodies, old patients, friends of LUTH, men of God and the good hearted to donate generously towards the "Friends of the Needy Fund".
On his part, the Chairman, House Committee on Health, Lagos State, Dr. Adewale Ahmed, who represented the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Dr. Adeleke Mamora, noted that the event was in line with the objective of the state government proposal to set up the Lagos State Emergency Relief Agency to monitor emergencies and tackle them when they occur.
He said "the House Committee on Health is interested in this programme. We will tackle needy problems and find out what the needy want".
Earlier, Special Adviser to the President on Woman Affairs, Chief (Mrs.) Titilayo Ajanaku, who was Special Guest of Honour, commended the hospital's collective effort in solving the problem of indigent patients. She said the facts as presented show clearly that LUTH needs assistance to continue to carry out its social responsibility, research and other management activities. She called on the distinguished guests and Nigerians in general to donate generously to the fund, saying: "we must be our brothers keepers".
For now, however, all over the LUTH's Wards lay many abandoned patients and others, who are unable to meet their medical bills but have remained afflicted with all sorts of ailments, battling for survival.
This Day (Lagos)
NEWS
July 4, 2002
Posted to the web July 9, 2002
By Andrew Ahiante
Lagos
Parades heart-touching abandoned patients
Their situation is pathetic, but what immediately comes to mind is a gory picture of government absence in the life of the citizenry.
All over the Wards of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) are patients, children, young people and even the aged, who are unable to pay their medical bills.
While some have remained there for years, being too poor to meet hospital bills, some have been abandoned by relations and parents for the same reason of inability to pay medical bills.
Unable to cope with the growing phenomenon anymore, the hospital last weekend launched what it termed: "Friends of the Needy Fund".
The hospital did not only have on display pictures of such patients, they ensured that many of them were physically present to attest to the difficult situation it has found itself.
The patients vary from children to adults, males and females and on their faces were obvious display of sadness and agony. They wore forlorn looks,revealing complete lost of hope in life.
As they tried to tell their experiences, and how they have become permanent residents of LUTH, they were full of praise for the hospital management, explaining that they have till date survived on its good will.
Flagging off their gory tales of woe, Chidima Sunday, 16, said he was abandoned as a patient in the hospital by her parents at infancy.
He does not know any of his parents or relatives, except the hospital staff. Sunday is suffering from paraplegia. He was abandoned in Ward E, but thanks to the hospital management and some good-spirited individuals, he has enrolled at a disabled school in Surulere, Lagos. But he needs a lot of money for upkeep.
The case of John James Ubong is more pathetic. John, 10, is in Ward D2. He was said to have been brought there with his mother two weeks ago as victims of kerosene explosion. They suffered severe burns all over. While his mother died a week after, Sunday has remained alive, surviving only on the goodwill of the hospital management.
The oldest of the indigent patients is a 65-year old Madam Stella Amusu. Amusu, who is in Ward A4, has been on admission in the hospital since March 16, 2002. She is suffering from acute renal failure and congestive cardiac failure. She is said to be owing LUTH a total of N42,000,having only paid her initial bill of N6,000.
There is Helen Irabor. Helen, 37, has been in the hospital since November 11, 2001. She is in Ward B1 and her bill currently stands at N854,000.
Similarly, Festus Femi, 25, was admitted on February 18, 2002. His case is amputation of the penis, following an industrial accident. He is owing the hospital N71,900. His case is, however, not over as yet as he is still under close observation by doctors.
There is Nasir Emmanuel. Emmanuel, 6, is in Ward E4. He was admitted on February 7, 2002, and had knee amputation. He is owing the hospital N43,900.
Chibuzor Benedict is in Ward E2. Benedict was admitted April, 2002 for knee amputation, he owes the hospital N249,000.
Baby Salawu, born to a known sickler mother through emergency caesarian section, was admitted on April 4, 2002.
His mother died a month ago, leaving the child to the care of the hospital. The grand mother was showing up immediately after the incident to see the baby but has since stopped to avoid being asked to pay the accumulated bill of N17,806.
Others include Tiamiyu Mana and Lasisi Yusuf. Both Mana and Lasisi are suffering from meningitis. While Mana, a year old, is owing N8,500, six-year old Lasisi is owing N7,000.
Also on the list is Master Azeez Balogun. Balogun, 8, was admitted in 1997, suffering from ruptured bladder. He was consequently abandoned in Ward E4 by parents and relatives to the care of LUTH. His bill is unquantifiable.
Like in other cases, abandoned spinal cord injury patients are also all over the wards. Frank Okosun and Tosin Aina are two of such patients. While Frank was admitted in May 21, 2002, Tosin came in two weeks ago. They are both bedridden. Frank, 36, is owing N39,200, while Tosin owes N129,000. They have only been able to afford their initial N6,000 deposit. There are many more, including Dada Muyiwa, 42, and Akpan Monday.
Akpan 25, in Ward E2, spoke for other patients and called for assistant for them all. He has flap rotation, open reduction and maternal fixation for fractured tibia in the words of his doctor.
Speaking at the occasion,Professor(Chief) James Obi,Chairman of the LUTH Management Board,said the launching of the fund is meant to take care of indident patients.
In his words:"We are introducing "Friends of the Needy Fund" to generate funds for these patients.
"The idea of taking care of indigent patients is not a new thing in LUTH". Before the present Management Board, Obi said, there was what was known as ALANU FUND.
However, the situation of the fund became so precarious to the extent that there was a time it was as low as N500.00.
After due consultation with management, the board, he said, decided to carry out a total reactivation of the ALANU FUND by giving it a new name, do a formal re-launch, and constitute a Board of Trustees to run the fund in such a way that it would never be in the red again.
Happy at the successful hosting of the launch, he assured that the fund would be properly managed and judiciously used for the purpose it was meant to serve, hinging his optimism on those appointed to run it. Describing the board of trustees as a composition of upright people", he said members include Dr. (Chief) J. D. Soleye, Professor (Mrs.) Oyin Elebute, Professor Tolu Odukoya, Mr. O. A. O. Onabowale, and Dr. (Mrs.) Bimbo Sowande.
Others are Mrs. Remi Oyewole-Makele, Dr. Idowu Araoyinbo, Mr. Y. A. Olakitan and Mrs. O. K. Doherty.
On his part, the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Professor Onatolu Odukoya, noted that one could be rich or poor, young or old, but bound to fall sick at one time or the other as circumstances are not static. Sicknesses in this environment, he said, results from "either age changes or exposure to our sometimes hostile physical environment".
In this regard, since people must be sick, he said, they must seek treatment and going for treatment requires that medical bills would have to be paid.
Very unfortunately in our situation, he said, while some people have the financial wherewithal to meet their health needs, thousands of fellow Nigerians are unable to do so. "When on admission in hospital, some Nigerians can hardly afford as little as N1,000, to pay their medical bills", he said.
Faced with this situation, Odukoya said "apart from its responsibility of delivering quality healthcare, as a foremost tertiary institution, the Lagos University Teaching Hospital has also been confronted with rendering virtually free services or writing off bills of indigent Nigerians, who are financially incapable of coping with their medical bills".
LUTH has been doing this, and will continue to do so as part of her social responsibility to the nation", he further assured.
In some other cases, the CMD said the hospital discharges patients after making them to give an undertaking on how such unpaid bills would be settled.
He puts such unpaid bills backed by undertakings at N2 million in the year 2000 and 2001 each.
While these undertakings are given, he said only an insignificant percentage of the debts are ever recovered with the rest usually written off as bad debts.
"It is regrettable that even now our Wards are littered with genuinely indigent patients. You will all agree with me that these patients need our help financially.
"While it is the desire of LUTH to continue to render excellent medical care services to these patients, who also deserve to live, and to be cured of their ailments, medical consumables and drugs administered on these patients and the food they eat require funds for replenishment.
"Writing off medical bills of these patients as bad debts, therefore, means loss of funds, which LUTH cannot afford nowadays, particularly now that government funding of overhead cost is grossly inadequate and government expects each institution to generate funds for self-sustenance", Odukoya told the large gathering, now all moved to pity. He then appealed to everybody, philanthropists, corporate bodies, old patients, friends of LUTH, men of God and the good hearted to donate generously towards the "Friends of the Needy Fund".
On his part, the Chairman, House Committee on Health, Lagos State, Dr. Adewale Ahmed, who represented the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Dr. Adeleke Mamora, noted that the event was in line with the objective of the state government proposal to set up the Lagos State Emergency Relief Agency to monitor emergencies and tackle them when they occur.
He said "the House Committee on Health is interested in this programme. We will tackle needy problems and find out what the needy want".
Earlier, Special Adviser to the President on Woman Affairs, Chief (Mrs.) Titilayo Ajanaku, who was Special Guest of Honour, commended the hospital's collective effort in solving the problem of indigent patients. She said the facts as presented show clearly that LUTH needs assistance to continue to carry out its social responsibility, research and other management activities. She called on the distinguished guests and Nigerians in general to donate generously to the fund, saying: "we must be our brothers keepers".
For now, however, all over the LUTH's Wards lay many abandoned patients and others, who are unable to meet their medical bills but have remained afflicted with all sorts of ailments, battling for survival.