Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, is set to pay the medical bills of 10,000 patients in 60 hospitals across Nigeria.
The gesture targets the very poor and vulnerable from low-income backgrounds and includes different types of ailments.
An organisation envisioned by Seyi, tge Seyi Tinubu Maternal and Child Health Intervention, aims to alleviate the financial hardship of medication and materials for delivery for 10,000 indigent patients across 60 tertiary health institutions in the country.
In its first phase, which will include the University College Hospital [UCH], Ibadan and LUTH, Lagos, the Maternal and Child Health Intervention, through its drug bank, intends to support 10,000 indigent patients every month with free drugs and materials delivered to the hospitals.
Seyi Tinubu, who spoke at the official launch of the Maternal and Child Health Intervention’s drug bank for indigent patients in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Paediatrics Pharmacy Units at the UCH, Ibadan, described the drug bank as a symbol of hope and compassion for those who need it the most.
Represented by Pharmacist Ojeje Onimisi, the son of Nigeria’s president noted that countless individuals struggle to access life-saving medications.
According to him, “The burden of illness is already overwhelming; the added weight of financial hardship can be crushing.
“This drug bank represents more than just a collection of medicines; it means more than just a collection of medicines. It represents a commitment to dignity, to equality, and to the fundamental human right to healthcare.
“In this scheme, 10,000 indigent patients shall benefit from free drugs and delivery supplies per month per institution, and this will be established in a total of 60 tertiary hospitals in the north and south of Nigeria in the first phase.
“Tertiary hospitals were chosen because of the enormous burden of indigent patients they receive yearly and also because they currently have better-organised systems and infrastructure to administer the scheme. We are looking at doing the same things in general hospitals and primary health care centres across Nigeria.”
Benson declared that besides the drug bank interventions, the donation of point-of-care equipment, especially point-of-care ultrasound equipment, to the labour wards and antenatal clinics in the beneficiary institutions makes some immediate clinical decisions to support the care of pregnant women in labour who previously were not booked.
He added other things to implement in the subsequent phases of the programme include newborn screening for sickle cell disease and multidisciplinary research on issues that impact the reduction of maternal and child mortality in Nigeria.
The Chief Medical Director [CMD] of the hospital, Professor Jesse Otegbayo, who was represented by the hospital’s Chairman of the Medical Advisory Council [CMAC], Professor Abiodun Adeoye, lauded the initiative, saying the hospital would run the programme effectively and efficiently.
Professor Otegbayo declared: “We are commending this initiative because we know people that are paying out of pocket and people that cannot afford medications are increasing every day. We have to waive a lot of bills. With this initiative, that means we have access to emergency drugs. And that is why we are embracing it all heartedly, and we appreciate it.”