Correspondents’ Chapel Assists 40 Vulnerable Patients in Yobe Hospitals

The Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Yobe State Council, has distributed cash assistance to 40 vulnerable patients receiving treatment at two hospitals in Damaturu.

The intervention, carried out on Thursday under the chapel’s Humanitarian Outreach Programme, benefited 20 patients each at the Women and Children Hospital (Family Support Hospital) and the Yobe State Specialist Hospital.

Speaking during the distribution, the Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel, Comrade Nabilu Balarabe, said the initiative was funded through members’ contributions and savings.

Balarabe said the project reflected the chapel’s commitment to supporting vulnerable members of society beyond its traditional role of reporting events and promoting accountability.

He said the current leadership conceived the initiative as a community development intervention to provide relief to patients facing difficult circumstances.

“We decided from day one that we would not only concentrate on publicising government activities and holding government accountable.

“We also want to participate in intervention and support programmes that directly impact people’s lives,” he said.

According to him, the cash assistance is intended to help beneficiaries settle medical bills and meet essential needs, including feeding.

Balarabe urged journalists and other professional groups to complement their statutory responsibilities with initiatives that address social challenges within their communities.

He also appealed to philanthropists, organisations and well-meaning individuals to support patients and other vulnerable groups.

“There are people whose lives are in very difficult conditions in these hospitals, and they need urgent assistance.

“The little support anyone can provide can put smiles on their faces and make a significant difference in their lives,” he said.

He added that humanitarian service did not require enormous wealth, noting that even small contributions could positively impact those in need.

Responding, the Principal Medical Officer of the Women and Children Hospital, Dr. Babagana Alhaji Kolo, described the gesture as commendable and capable of inspiring similar interventions by other organisations.

Kolo said it was the first such initiative he had witnessed at the facility and praised the journalists for demonstrating commitment to humanitarian service.

He said the intervention would also complement government’s efforts to improve healthcare delivery across the state.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee of the Yobe State Specialist Hospital, Dr. Muhammad Aji, described the assistance as timely and impactful.

Aji said many patients struggled to afford medication, feeding and transportation, adding that the support would ease some of their financial burdens.

He said the intervention would complement ongoing clinical care and improve the welfare of vulnerable patients.

Two beneficiaries, Aisha Muhammad and Halima Ibrahim, thanked the Correspondents’ Chapel for the assistance.

They said the support would help them pay medical bills and purchase food and prescribed medication.