Why I Want To Transform  Nigeria’s Health Care System — US-Based Lawyer

Raymond Ozoji, Awka

Driven by her compassionate and humane nature to always put smiles on the faces of people through genuine philanthropy, Imo state born US-based lawyer Mrs. Iruka Ndubuizu is set to embark on a humanitarian mission to her home state as well as extend same gesture to other states in Nigeria.

Though she had narrated her ordeals of having lost family members due to ill-equipped hospitals and inadequate healthcare, she maintained that her ultimate goal was to leave an indelible legacy of ensuring that people no longer die due to lack of medical facilities or having to pay excruciating hospital deposits before they could access medical care.

This however prompted her to carry out feasibility study of hospital facilities in her state of origin. The survey therefore opened her eyes further to the harsh realities of the deplorable state of hospitals in the area as well as the most pressing needs of the health facilities.

The Atlanta-Georgia based legal practitioner and founder of a non-governmental organization called Giving Hope Initiative (GHI), in order to ameliorate the situation in the nation’s health care sector, raised funds to purchase a 40-feet container load of hospital equipment and medicals from the United States of America and shipped to the country, where the medical facilities would be used to upgrade Imo State University Teaching Hospital Umuna Orlu Imo state.

Addressing newsmen in a virtual press conference concerning her medical mission to Nigeria, she said, “I turned 50 on January 11, 2019 and all I wanted for my birthday was to give people some hope and do my own part in shaping the world I live in by raising money to fund the donation of a 40-foot container of medical supplies and equipment to the Imo State University Teaching Hospital (IMSUTH) in Nigeria.

“IMSUTH is a primary healthcare facility that caters to a large population of the community and a teaching hospital responsible for training future medical practitioners. Unfortunately, it is not equipped to carry out its basic functions due to lack of funding.

“It is a government establishment that has been neglected upon opening; our government has a knack for building self described ‘world class’ facilities without planning for its long term sustenance after the ribbon is cut and the cameras are gone.

“In a country where 67% of people live below the poverty line, many people are dying from preventable health conditions daily. With the high cost of health care, it is common for people who need medical attention to delay their care.

“They are not being irresponsible; rather, they must decide whether to put food on the table or pay for a hospital visit. A vast majority do not have health insurance, so it is a ‘pay before service’ system – you have to pay first before you are allowed to see a doctor.

“Providing IMSUTH with supplies will go a long way in alleviating the health care needs of the most vulnerable members of the society. I reached out to a lot of friends to contribute to this project believing that together, we can make a great impact.

“I’ve been asked why I’m doing this. There’s no special reason. I’m just driven to ‘Make a difference today for someone who is fighting for their tomorrow’ – Jim Kelly.”

When confronted with the question of explaining in detail the type of medical supplies she would donate to the Imo State University Teaching Hospital, she said, “It’s a 40-foot container of medical supplies and equipment. They include CPAP Machines, CPAP Masks, Ultrasound Unit, Vital Sign Monitor, Infant Warmer, Nebulizer, Infusion Pump, Stryker Hospital Bed, etc.  The shipment also includes over 900 cartons of medical supplies – gloves, syringes, catheters, clamps, masks, bandages, specimen collection sets, biopsy kits, gauze dressings, cotton rolls, surgical gowns, surgical supplies, etc,” noting that the total monetary value of the container was approximately $250,000 which is about 100 million naira.

Ndubuizu said she raised the  money for her project by asking all her friends and contacts to donate to her medical outreach in lieu of having a 50th birthday party. Although she pointed out that funding the project was another hard nut to crack because she had to grapple with the excruciating issue of being a Nigerian living in the United States of America.

“Biggest challenge is funding. I thought it will be easy. I was so sure everyone will be as excited as I am about the project and bring out their cheque books! Most people were not interested. I live in America where they think Nigerians are fraudulent. So I had to deal with trust issues. Some thought it was a scam. My current challenge now is funding to clear the container but we are close to a solution now. It should be out in a few days thankfully,” she stated.

The US-based legal practitioner is of the strong opinion that her many years of philanthropy and humanitarian support to the cause of  humanity has no modicum of political underpinnings but emphasized that her personal focus was on helping to alleviate preventable diseases by providing access to basic health care.

According to her, “No one should choose between feeding their family or going to the hospital to treat a simple diabetic wound. I’m providing several boxes of wound dressing materials so the community won’t have to pay for it.” She stressed that service to humanity is service to God.