BY FRANK KINTUM, 1 FEBRUARY 2004
Lagos — Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LAS-UTH) and Pastor Emma-nuel Blessing, of Jesus Chapel International Church, have benefitted from the largesse of Jose Foundation, an international non-governmental body.
While LASUTH got N500, 000 to aid its social activities, the Pastor got N120,000 to solve an accommodation problem.
LASUTH had earlier benefited from the Foundation’s donation last year when the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Femi Olugbile, received N250,000 from the Foundation for the hospital.
Receiving the N500,000 donation on behalf of the hospital, from the President of Jose Foundation, Prince Martins Abhulimhen, the Medical Social Worker of LASUTH, Mr. Isichie Obi Benedict, thanked Jose Foundation for the donation and called on other bodies to do the same.
He explained that the money received would be used by the hospital’s welfare department to cater for the needs of abandoned babies, and adult patients who have been abandoned by their relatives.
Benedict also stated that the hospital has a scheme whereby victims of road traffic accidents who are rushed to the hospital for medical attention are taken care of with such funds.
“Donations such as the one we are receiving today are also used to assist HIV/AIDS patients who do not have enough to buy drugs for their peculiar needs”, he stated.
The Social Worker added that patients, who undergo operations in the hospital, and those who after amputation cannot immediately buy crutches, are assisted by the hospital.
On how the donations made by Jose Foundation have impacted on the hospital, Benedict said “it has impacted positively on us and has brought a lot of life to our patients”.
Blessing who is getting the assistance to pay his rent at Idimu, a suburb of Lagos, thanked the former and the Foundation for the gesture. Married with three kids, he expressed joy that Jose Foundation has been able to save him and his family from ejection by his landlord.
In his words, I am glad that the Foundation is doing this and is interested in how humanity can be assisted. The pastor, who prayed for the foundation to continue to help more poor people in the society, enjoined beneficiaries of the Foundation¡s funds to use it wisely.
Speaking during the presentation, Abhulimhen stated that we would continue to build bridges to eradicate poverty, based on what we did last year, we would continue by donating to the hospital, where we already have an established form of disbursing funds to the less-privileged in the society, those that cannot afford medic care, we would try and assist them by providing finance to them to get medication. In as much as we assist, we make sure that people don¡t come around with fake stories, because we have field men who verify such claims before we help.
In would be recalled that during the presentation of the first donation last year, Abhulimhen had promised to continue to help the hospital as the need arises.
Abhulimhen had expressed his Foundation’s readiness to further aid the hospital in areas of needs, and noted that LASUTH is one of the several other health institutions and charity homes to benefit from the Foundation.