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With a presence in 14 African countries, the SUNU Group had contributed towards the fight of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa with a donation of N15 million worth of PPE to the Lagos State government.
The company, which operates in Nigeria as SUNU Health Nigeria Limited (A Health Maintenance Organisation) and SUNU Assurance Plc (A General Insurance Company) recently visited the Lagos State Government’s warehouse in Lekki with the package.
The Managing Director/CEO, Dr. Patrick Korie, said that the company is aware of the efforts made by the respective countries in Africa to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and had decided to contribute to the effort to fight COVID-19 in the countries where they operate.
He said: “The effort of Nigeria in the fight against COVID -19 is commendable and we wish to contribute to this effort by donating Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) of about fifteen million naira for use of healthcare workers especially the General Hospital Gbagada, Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) Yaba and Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba, Lagos.”
The personal protective equipment donated by the company includes N95 masks, splash resistant suits, goggles, which are aimed at helping the front line workers protect themselves in the fight against the pandemic.
The Chairman, SUNU Assurances PLC and SUNU Health, Kyari Abba Bukar said that the PPE are the company’s contribution to fighting the pandemic all across Africa stating that there had been similar donations in the thirteen other African countries where the company is present. The Chairman believes that the company had taken a step in the right direction as against sharing food to the less privileged because, “this is just as good as saving lives first before food issue comes up.”
Explaining the rationale behind the donation, Korie averred that doctors and other healthcare workers are getting infected with the virus all over the world, which had tickled the concerns of the management of the company, “we need our doctors to be hale and hearty in order to deliver care so we decided to give them these PPE so that they get protected.
“In Nigeria, the figures are rising, more healthcare workers are getting infected by the day and we are alarmed. If all the healthcare workers are infected, who will take care of the populace?”
In respect to insurance, Samuel Ogbodu, the MD/CEO of SUNU Assurance PLC said that the company had done a lot already for healthcare workers by providing health insurance for front line workers, group life. He stated that all the insurance companies in the industry, SUNU inclusive, contributed money towards the payment of the premium for the cover.
He, however, urged other insurance companies to help protect front line workers by providing all the necessary insurance.
Olajide Razak, Manager of Lagos State medical warehouse, Lekki, thanked the group on behalf of the Lagos State government stating that, “A drop of water makes a mighty ocean. So if we come together, we will deal with coronavirus the way we ought to.”
