Yuletide: Umuada-Igbo pays hospital bills of indigent patients, empowers widows in Ebonyi

The Ebonyi State branch of ‘Umuada Igbo Nigeria and in Diaspora,’ a socio-cultural, non-governmental organization of Igbo daughters has settled hospital bills of some indigent patients across some hospitals in Ebonyi state.

 

The bills amounting to about two million naira were paid to enable the discharged, but held patients rejoin their families for Christmas celebration.

 

Some of the hospitals visited by the group during its charity tour held Thursday, 18th December, were the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital 1 and 2, and the National Obstetrics Fistula Centre, among others.

 

The group also empowered 10 widows with various amounts of business start-up capital and donated food items, beverages, toiletries and other goods to the Red Cross motherless babies home, Abakaliki.

 

Ebonyi state coordinator of the group, Evangelist Mrs Abigail Eze-Iheukwumere, said the exercise was a mandate from the head office of the Association which provided the money for them to embark on hospital outreach and other humanitarian services as a way of bringing succour to people in difficulties, making them feel the love of Christmas.

 

She said: “This is the mandate God has given to all christians to take care of the downtrodden.

 

“We’ve come together to do this because we believe that there are people that deserve help, and we need to extend this helping hand to them.

 

“We started this from our headquarters in Enugu where we reached out to people with disabilities and other indigents and vulnerable groups.

 

“We raise this money from contributions of members.”

 

Eze-Iheukwumere explained that the Umuada Igbo, apart from engaging in humanitarian services, also protect women’s rights, fight against gender-based violence and other harmful cultural practices against women as well as encourage women educational empowerment.

 

She further noted that the association is engaged in promoting the Igbo language and the positive values in Igbo culture which are gradually facing threat of extinction.

 

“We carry out enlightenment campaigns and other practical approaches, such as school visitations to promote the Igbo language, positive cultural values and moral standards, among other things”, she added.

 

She further explained that the association is open to all Igbo daughters, including those who became Igbos by marriage.

 

Some of the discharged patients and beneficiaries who spoke to newsmen, including Mary Akam from Izzi LGA, Ruth Nwonu and Oluchukwu Udu from Ezza North and South respectively, among others, expressed joy over the gesture.

 

Many of them said they were discharged from hospital bed over 3 months ago but held because of their inability to defray their bills.

 

They prayed God to bless members of Umuada Igbo and replenish their sources in folds.

 

Receiving the group at the National Obstetrics Fistula Centre in Abakaliki, the Chief Medical Director, Prof. Johnson Obuna, commended the group describing their mission as an act of sharing of love, which is a significant aspect of Christmas.

 

He enumerated some of the services rendered in the hospital to include free repair of women with visico and recto-vaginal fistula, free dialysis, breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment, maternal and neonatal services, among others.

 

Emphasizing that the hospital handles all issues concerning women, he noted that it renders In-vitro fertilization services (IVF) at highly subsidized rate.

 

He maintained that though most of the services rendered by the hospital are free, it is however open to persons and groups wishing to partner with it financially and otherwise in service to humanity.

 

A member of the group, Mrs. Uzoamaka Egwu, in an interview, described her membership of the organisation as the best thing that has happened to her, stating that it has made her realise the importance of leading her children to speak the Igbo language

 

“Our language is our identity, and we need to preserve it and save it from extinction”, she said.

 

The Umuada Igbo (daughters of Igbo land) Nigeria and in the Diaspora draw its membership from Igbo speaking communities in 7 states of Nigeria comprising of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Rivers and Delta.