Policy Briefs

Obaze Storms Nnewi, Advocates Charity Care Scheme for Affordable Healthcare 

 

PDP Candidate for the forthcoming Gubernatorial election in Anambra State, Mr. Oseloka H. Obaze, has reteirated his commitment to efficient, accessible and affordable healthcare for all. 

He stated this at the commissioning of St. Felix Catholic Specialist Hospital Nnewi saying that emergency medical services must be upgraded for Ndi Anambra. 

Obaze revealed his plan for a contributory Charity Care fund where the government, church, markets and any willing individual can contribute funds to the Charity Care scheme, which will be used to offset hospital bills of the indigent in Anambra State. He urged hospital managers not to reject patients because they cannot afford the required treatment but prioritize the safety of patients before anything else. 

“Nobody prays for sickness, nobody prays for accident, what we should be praying for is that in times of emergency one is injured is that we have good hospitals, good doctors, quality drugs, drinkable water and electricity”, he began. 

He said, “The first thing we will do in emergency response is that when we receive a patient, we commence treatment immediately, life comes first before anything else”.

“For my government, we will introduce what is called Charity Care for the indigent. The government, community, traders and independent groups can contribute funds to the Charity Care. If any patient comes in here and is unable to pay, the hospital manager can discount the bill and send the remainder to the Charity Care administrator to offset the bill from that public pool. The Charity Care can cover the whole health bill or a percentage of it depending on the evaluation of the patient by the hospital manager”.

He continued, “Our government will ensure every hospital whether private or mission-owned must have a charity care administrator and this will also help create jobs for unemployed Ndi Anambra”.

“If we are able to save lives from our charity care programme, beneficiaries will begin to contribute funds to the programme knowing that in their time of need, the charity care came to their rescue” Obaze ended. 

As he toured the hospital, the CEO, Fr. Peter Uzochukwu, pleaded with the former United Nations official to help one of the patients who has been in the hospital for over two months due to inability to pay for her healthcare. Obaze obliged with a cheque of 500,000 naira to offset the health bill of N321,000 for Mrs. Mary Agbo and N179,000 to offset the healthbill of other hospitalized patients in the hospital to a rapturous welcome. 

In his remarks, Fr. Uzochukwu thanked Mr. Obaze for his kind gesture and deep understanding of public policy implementation urging Ndi Anambra to stop at nothing in their support for Oseloka Obaze’s vision for the State. 

Oseloka Obaze, MD & CEO

Oseloka Obaze, MD & CEO

Mr. Obaze is the former Secretary to the State Government of Anambra State, Nigeria from 2012 to 2015 - MD & CEO, Oseloka H. Obaze. Mr. Obaze also served as a former United Nations official, from 1991-2012, and as a former member of the Nigerian Diplomatic Service, from 1982-1991.

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