Remi Tinubu Offsets Patients’ Medical Bills, Makes Cash Donations at Enugu Hospital

Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has brought relief to dozens of indigent patients at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Teaching Hospital, Parklane, Enugu, by offsetting their medical bills and making cash donations to support their treatment.

The humanitarian intervention, carried out on Thursday through the Mother and Child component of the Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly benefited women and other vulnerable patients who could not afford their hospital bills.

The gesture also brought relief to some patients who had been discharged but remained in the hospital because they were unable to settle their outstanding bills and return home.

The First Lady’s intervention was delivered through a high-powered delegation led by the National Woman Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Director of Women Mobilisation, Directorate of the party’s 2027 Presidential Campaign Council, Dr. Mary Aille Idele.

The delegation included the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim; members of the Women Mobilisation Directorate; the APC South-East Zonal Woman Leader, Dr. Oby Ajih; and other party stakeholders in Enugu State.

Apart from providing financial assistance to the beneficiaries, members of the delegation visited various hospital wards, where they offered prayers for the speedy recovery of patients receiving treatment.

Speaking with journalists after the ward visits, Dr. Idele said the First Lady’s Mother and Child healthcare initiative under the Renewed Hope Agenda was designed to demonstrate compassion and provide support for Nigerian women, children and vulnerable members of society.

She said the Federal Government, under President Bola Tinubu, had prioritised investment in healthcare, particularly services targeted at women, mothers and children.

According to her, the intervention would provide much-needed relief to families struggling to meet medical expenses, especially patients who had been discharged but could not leave the hospital because of unpaid bills.

Idele also called for the continuation of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda beyond 2027, arguing that the administration deserved another term to consolidate its achievements.

She urged women in Enugu State, the South-East and across the country to support the President’s re-election bid, citing what she described as the administration’s investments in infrastructure, economic development and human welfare.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Sulaiman-Ibrahim, also commended the administration’s investment in healthcare, particularly its efforts to improve access to medical services for women and children.

Among the wards visited by the delegation were the labour and postnatal wards, children’s orthopaedic ward and children’s emergency ward.

In his remarks, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Professor Bertrand Ngwu, commended Governor Peter Mbah for his administration’s investments in the state’s health sector.

He said the hospital’s recent accreditation to train specialist doctors, improved emergency facilities and expanded access to postgraduate medical examinations were indications of significant progress in healthcare delivery in Enugu State.

Ngwu also expressed appreciation to the First Lady and her delegation for the humanitarian intervention, noting that the financial assistance had addressed a major challenge confronting indigent patients and their families.

He disclosed that the delegation visited a critically ill young woman who had reportedly received as many as 10 pints of blood but remained unconscious.

According to him, the team provided financial assistance to support her treatment and offset her hospital bills.

The CMD explained that the intervention was particularly significant at a time when economic hardship had made it difficult for many families to meet their healthcare obligations, leaving some discharged patients stranded in the hospital over unpaid bills.

Earlier, the APC South-East Zonal Woman Leader, Dr. Oby Ajih, mobilised party women and stakeholders to receive the Abuja delegation at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport before accompanying them to the hospital.

The Enugu State Commissioner for Health, Dr. George Ugwu, and the Executive Secretary of the Enugu State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Ifeyinwa Ani-Osheku, were among other dignitaries present at the event.