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From Magnus Eze, Enugu
No fewer than 15 abandoned mental health patients at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu (FNHE) have been freed to reunite with their families.
This followed the clearing of their accumulated medical bills on Wednesday by a philanthropist, Chief Osondu Ugwuoke.
Ugwuoke had responded to the recent call by the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Monday Igwe on public-spirited organisations and individuals to come to the aid of the hospital following the rising cases of discharged but abandoned mental health persons there.
Making the donation to the hospital management, Ugwuoke said that it was not really for the sake of Christmas celebration but that he was touched when he read media reports where the management solicited for assistance since the cost burden was telling on the hospital.
Chief Ejiofor Omeje and S.I.D. Iyida, who represented Ugwuoke aat the donations, said that Ugwuoke was a person that has human feelings and likes giving back to the society and does not like seeing people suffer.
“So when he saw the Medical Director’s outcry, he was touched and he decided to map out one million naira for the indigent patients that would have left the hospital but did not have money to offset their medical bills and he just donated one million naira to take care of those categories of patients. This is not basically in the spirit of Christmas; it’s just his normal person to take care of people that need help. He believes that one derives more blessing in giving because the hand that giveth stays on top,” Omeje said.
Medical Director of the hospital, Igwe commended Ugwuoke’s gesture but restated that the hospital still needs more spirited individuals to come to the aid of the abandoned patients, whom Ugwuoke’s donation cannot cover their own bills, so that more of the indigent patients can go home and celebrate the Christmas healthy and with their families.
Head of Social Welfare in the hospital, Dr. Azuka Oguamanam said that the Ugwuoke’s donation may not be able to take care of more than 15 indigent patients, whereas the hospital has no less than 30 of such persons feeding from its purse.
His counterpart of clinical services, Dr. Vincent Ubochi said that Ugwuoke’s donation has alleviated the burden of the hospital, but noted that the number of indigents in the hospital was always in the increase.
Ubochi said: “They stay long after discharge and sometimes, some are abandoned because they cannot pay. Their people visit them but they can’t go home because of the financial incapacity.”
