The Minister made the call at The virtual inauguration and hand-over of medical equipment to Onikan Health Centre, Lagos by the National Lottery Trust Fund, on Thursday.
Akume, who was represented by Mr Festus Daudu, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, commended the Fund for the donation and encouraged NLTF to extend the laudable gesture to other healthcare centres across the country. He emphasized the immense need for these initiatives in our health sector at this trying time.
“We are all aware of the dangers posed by COVID-19, and this is, therefore, a wake-up call to all in leadership positions to start working actively and collaboratively in improving our healthcare,” Akume said.
The equipments donated include: Cardio-cography single gestation equipment, Phototherapy machine, automatic cardiac defibrillator, Hydraulic delivery beds equipped with monitors, Olympus microscopes, blood bank equipment, , a neonatal incubator, a resuscitaire among others
At the event, Dr Bello Maigari, the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of NLTF, thanked Sen. George Akume, the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs, for granting the required and appropriate approvals for the fund to exercise its statutory mandate.
According to him, the virtual inauguration and hand-over of the medical equipment was to deliver world class medical facilities.
“This donation is coming at a time this country is facing an unprecedented national emergency in dealing with the scourge of Coronavirus pandemic. It is a welcome development.
“We are confident that our efforts will make all the differences in saving lives by providing high standard of care, not only to vulnerable pregnant women and children, but to other patients.
“The current pandemic, which had ravaged many nation’s across the globe, must not be allowed to resurge again, as a second wave.
“We must rise up to its challenge and stop its spread and its overwhelming of our fragile healthcare system,” he said.
He further expressed the resolved of the Trust Fund and the Lottery Industry to continue raising more funds for good causes in a socially responsible way.
He, also thanked the Lagos State Government and management of Onikan Health Centre for dedicating resources and time to make the donation a reality
Also, Mr Lanre Gbajabiamila, the Director-General, National Lottery Regulatory Commission, said the donations showed the positive benefit of lottery.
Gbajabiamila said: “Such intervention will encourage stakeholders in the lottery industry to do more.
“I am happy that Lagos State is a beneficiary of this laudable gesture, and I know this will serve people effectively.
“I believe projects like this will make stakeholders in the lottery industry to inject more funds to the industry,” he said.
Commenting, Dr Adebayo Aderiye, the Chairman, Lagos State Health Service Commission, thanked NLTF for the donation.
Aderiye said the donation would go a long way in complementing the efforts of the Lagos State Government in ensuring effective healthcare service.
“We appreciate the support and effort of the National Lottery Trust Fund to the hospital, and we hope they will do more, because government alone cannot do it all,” he said.
In his remarks, Dr Olubiyi Kufo, Medical Director of the hospital, while thanking NLTF, said the equipment would help the hospital to render better services to the patients.
Kufo said the 60 years old hospital, which offer a wide range of services to people on the Island and some part of Mainland, would put the equipment to use judiciously.
“A total of 190,747 patients visited this hospital in 2019, and on a monthly basis, no fewer than 53 deliveries were recorded in the hospital.
“We sincerely appreciate the fund for this donation, and it will help us to do more in the services we render.
“I also want to thank my predecessor, Dr Olusegun Ogbeye, for facilitating this project before he left the hospital,” he said.