Nkechinyere Ewa-Okpara
Rev. Fr. Dr. Simon Isu-Eseni, the Administrator of Mater Hospital in Afikpo, along with his counterpart at St. Patrick’s Hospital in Mile Four, Abakaliki, has called on well-meaning Nigerians to invest in covering hospital bills for indigent patients who are currently unable to pay for their medical care.
The two administrators emphasized that the difficult economic situation in the country has left many people in Ebonyi State trapped in hospitals due to their inability to settle their bills after receiving treatment.
They made the appeal recently when a group under the umbrella of Hospital Visitations of Mary led by a Catholic class, Rev. Fr. Dr. JOHNCHIDI OBASI, visited the hospitals and offset hospital bills amounting to #633,260 (Six Hundred and Thirty-Three Thousand, Two Hundred and Sixty Naira).
Fr. Obasi, who was happy to touch lives in the yuletide, said, I, on behalf of the Hospital Visitationaries of Mary, had the opportunity to visit St. Patrick’s Hospital and Mater Misericordiae Hospital today.
During the visit, we settled the outstanding bills for a total of five patients, amounting to #633,260 (Six Hundred and Thirty-Three Thousand, Two Hundred and Sixty Naira), allowing them to return home in time to celebrate the New Year.
I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for your financial contributions and prayerful support that made this possible. May the good Lord shower His blessings upon you. Happy New Year!
I encouraged the patients to thank God, who has healed them through the hospital and helped settle their bills through our organization and its benefactors. I reminded them that the hospital beds they were leaving behind were once occupied by others who may have suffered.
Correspondent reports that both administrators expressed their gratitude to our group for coming to the aid of the patients. They also urged others with good intentions to emulate the Hospital Visitationaries of Mary, as there has been a significant increase in the number of patients awaiting bill settlement due to the economic hardships in the country.
The patients were overjoyed at the prospect of celebrating the New Year with their families and promised to pray for our group.