Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan
The Chief Executive Officer of ZenithCare Hospital, Dr. Lekan Ogunlowo, has urged governments and stakeholders to establish stronger support mechanisms for indigent patients unable to afford medical treatment.
He made the call during an ongoing free medical and surgical outreach organised by the Pistis Foundation in collaboration with ZenithCare Hospital in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The expert said some illnesses require treatments that are financially beyond the reach of many Nigerians, leaving indigent patients unable to settle their medical bills, stating that government intervention is necessary to complement the efforts of foundations and hospitals providing free healthcare services to vulnerable people.
According to him, “There are some illnesses and medical problems in society that, if you leave them to individuals, some people will not be able to cope with them financially during treatment.
“We have a lot of indigent patients that are unable to take care of their medical needs.”
Ogunlowo said the government could support foundations undertaking free medical interventions or create avenues through which hospitals could provide assistance to patients who could not afford their bills.
“If the government can actually support this kind of foundation or create an avenue by which hospitals could attend to such people, it will be a welcome idea in society.
“We have many of them in society who are unable to pay their medical bills,” he said.
He added that the collaboration with Pistis Foundation was aimed at contributing to healthcare access for the less privileged members of society, disclosing that ZenithCare provided its facility and medical personnel to support the foundation’s free surgical programme.
According to him, the hospital was targeting about 100 beneficiaries for the surgical component, adding that about 20 patients had been attended to last Monday.
He said the procedures being undertaken include lipoma removal, laparotomy, appendectomy, aneurysm-related procedures and myomectomy, subject to medical assessment, stating that the outreach also provided eye care and other medical services, while beneficiaries could undergo registration and necessary laboratory investigations to determine their treatment needs.
Ogunlowo said ZenithCare was committed to providing quality healthcare with compassion, particularly to people who required assistance.
The Pistis Foundation’s Ubomi medical and surgical outreach offers free general medical check-ups, dental care, eye care and glasses, surgeries, medications and laboratory services, among other interventions.