Awaiting Bill Settlement(ABS) patients in selected hospitals heaved a sigh of relief as the Nnewi Indigenes residing in Atlanta, Georgia offset their treatment bills.
Patients in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), St Felix Catholic Hospital, Okolo Hospital and Hope Specialist Hospital all in Nnewi benefitted in the 4th edition of social intervention program of the group.
During the program, bills of selected patients who have spent so much time in the hospital due to their inability to pay their treatment bills were settled.
The group’s representatives Mrs Grace Okeke, Mrs Chioma Egbuonu and Mrs Anigbogu Tawa C. went round the benefitting hospitals to present the relief package to the patients.
The leader of the delegation, Mrs Grace Okeke in an interactive session with journalists said that over five million Naira (N5m) was budgeted for the awaiting bill settlement patients in this year’s edition.
She pointed out that the larger part of patients at NAUTH Nnewi would take the chunk of the money budgeted for the 2023 edition of their intervention.
Mrs Okeke noted that the basic consideration for the beneficiaries is the longevity of time spent in the hospital after discharge.
She said that some of the beneficiaries have been discharged since August but could not go home for their inability to settle their hospital bills.
Elder John Atuegwu on behalf of himself and other beneficiaries appreciated the philanthropic gesture of Nnewi Indigenes in Atlanta, Georgia.
He said that the group has given them opportunity to smile again as all hope was already lost before their intervention.
The ABS patient at Hope Specialist Hospital got three hundred thousand Naira (N300,000).
The Manager of St Felix Catholic Specialist Hospital, Rev Fr (Dr) Peter Uzochukwu thanked the group for their annual philanthropy which according to him will go a long way to stabilize the ailing persons.
The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) Nnewi, Prof Joseph Ugboaja (OON) also applauded the group for coming to the aid of the awaiting bill settlement patients.
He noted that things are so tough for the less privileged persons at the moment to the point that many people can hardly feed not to talk of picking hospital treatment bills.
Prof Ugboaja expressed the preparedness of NAUTH to have a more robust collaboration with the Nnewi Indigenes in Atlanta.
