Lions Club International, District 404A1 Nigeria, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ondo State Government to construct a dialysis center at the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Akure, Ondo State.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Wahab Adegbenro, in a statement, said the government would always welcome individuals and corporate organisations ready to contribute to the growth of its health sector.
Adegbenro, who was represented by Dr. Richard Adesoji, thanked the Lions Club for the gesture, saying the government could not do it alone considering the huge amount needed to provide health care services.
“We call on private organisations and influential individuals to assist the government in the provision of health facilities in the state. We promise that the government would make use of the center judiciously, and ensure it is affordable to patients,” Adegbenro said.
The District Governor, Lions Club 404A1, Dr. Adekunle Adedipe, said the center which would cost the club N50m would be completed within three months.
He said, “The center is part of the club’s efforts to save lives in the state. The club has also rendered medical services to cancer and diabetic patients and carried out surgeries for more than 1,000 cataract patients free of charge.”
The hospital’s Head, Department of Health Services, Dr. Adenike Enikuomehin, said the center, when completed, would reduce the rate of death associated with the movement of kidney patients from one hospital to another in the state.
According to the Nigerian Association of Nephrology, 25 million Nigerians have kidney failure – a condition where the kidney can no longer work without dialysis or transplant.
