From Paul Orude, Bauchi
Succour has come the way of patients suffering from diabetes as Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has commissioned the multi-million naira Enoch and Folu Adeboye Dialysis Centre, at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Teaching Hospital, Bauchi.
The Dialysis Centre was enovated and equipped by the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) as part of efforts to reach give assist the sick and poor Nigerians who may not be able to afford the high cost of dialysis.
Speaking during the commissioning of the facility on Saturday at the Teaching Hospital, named Pastor Enoch Adeboye and his wife, Fola, the governor used the occasion to call on wealthy individuals and organisations to emulate the gesture done by RCCG to the people of Bauchi State.
Mohammed explained the health and wellbeing of the people was a core mandate of the administration, hence the administration was deeply appreciative of the intervention of the church in the hospital.
“On inception, my administration organised the first Health Summit in the state and declared a State of emergency on the Health Sector and presently we have allocated 16 per cent of the state budget to health-related services,” Mohammed who was represented by the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Samaila Kaila Dahuwa, stated.
“When I was told that the facility was donated by the RCCG, it did not come to me as a surprise. What RCCG has done today is a clear demonstration of its followership to the teachings of Jesus Christ.
“Christians and Muslims are aware that during his lifetime, Jesus Christ donated tremendous aspect of his resources and time to the health and well-being of his people, with the help of God, he performed miracles that cured even the critically ill and even raised the dead.
“What RCCG has done today is a demonstration of their commitment and struggle to follow the footsteps of Jesus Christ and I pray that the Almighty God will continue to help you and give you more courage and wisdom to be practising Christians as you continue to consider the poor and sick irrespective of religious backgrounds and ethnic difference and pray that the patients who visit the hospital will benefit from this kind gesture”
In his remarks, Pastor Idowu Eluyumade, the Intercontinental Overseer for the Intercontinental Christian Social Responsibility of the RCCG, disclosed that the Foundation, which is the charity arm of the RCCG is involved in the social, health, education, media, arts and culture and governance with over 44 centres across 197 nations in the world.
While speaking, Pastor Adeboye, said the RCCG was led by God to carry out several projects to bring succour to the poor and needy.
Represented by Pastor Julius Fola Olalekun, Pastor in Charge of RCCG Region 17, overseeing Bauchi/Gombe, Adeboye explained that several of such projects had been carried out both within and outside the country.
“What we do is visit hospitals as God leads and ask the management what they need and look at the critical needs according to their request and come in. In some places it is Intensive Care Unit, in others, it may be dialysis, and so on depending on what the hospital lacks,” he stated.
Adeboye appealed to the management of ATBU to maintain the Dialysis Centre for continuity to enable people will benefit from it for a long time
In his remarks, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Yusuf Bara Jibril, said the intervention was timely as the management had been praying for such.
“I can say that this gesture is by the grace of God because the burden of delivery is increasing and overwhelming,” Dr Jibril stated.
“We have patients admitted with HIV, Lassa fever, Coronavirus, and these patients cannot all be on the dialysis machines with other patients therefore we have problems treating them and sometimes we have to refer them outside.
“So with this kind of gesture that this church has offered, we are really celebrating. Our cost is the cheapest in the country and we do it to recover the cost o the consumables. We will maintain the tempo but we are appealing to well-meaning and wealthy members of the public to support us with the consumables so that we can further reduce the cost of services.”