, Yobe State Council, has donated cash assistance to 40 vulnerable patients){kind=link}
By Sani Gazas Chinade, Damaturu
In a humanitarian gesture aimed at easing the burden of medical expenses, the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Yobe State Council, has donated cash assistance to 40 vulnerable patients receiving treatment at the Specialist Hospital and the Women and Children Hospital in Damaturu.
The intervention forms part of the chapel’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, designed to support indigent patients and give back to society.
Speaking during the outreach, Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel, Malam Nabilu Balarabe, said journalism goes beyond reporting events and holding public officials accountable, stressing that it also involves positively impacting the lives of the less privileged.
He explained that the chapel considered it necessary to embark on the community development project in recognition of the economic hardship facing many families.
“Our responsibility as journalists extends beyond the newsroom. We believe in supporting the vulnerable and contributing to the wellbeing of our communities,” Balarabe said.
He reaffirmed the chapel’s commitment to championing the cause of the less privileged, announcing plans to make the cash support programme a quarterly initiative.
According to him, about 40 patients benefited from the intervention across the two hospitals, while calling on associations, corporate organisations and philanthropists to emulate the gesture by supporting vulnerable patients struggling to meet medical bills.
The initiative received commendation from the management of both hospitals.
The Chief Medical Director of the Specialist Hospital, Professor Usman Abba, represented by the Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee, Dr. Muhammad Aji, and the Principal Medical Officer of the Women and Children Hospital, Dr. Babagana Alhaji Kolo, praised the Correspondents’ Chapel for translating its social responsibility into meaningful action.
They described the donation as a life-changing intervention that would not only reduce the financial burden on patients but also provide a significant psychological boost to those undergoing treatment.
The medical officials appealed to other unions, organisations and well-meaning Nigerians to support vulnerable patients, particularly in view of the prevailing economic challenges.
According to them, the hospitals are currently witnessing a high number of malaria cases, blood transfusions and other medical emergencies, making such humanitarian interventions timely and necessary.
Some of the beneficiaries, including Malama Halima Ibrahim, Amina Muhammad, Abubakar Musa and Bello Kawuwa, expressed gratitude to the Correspondents’ Chapel, saying the cash support would go a long way in offsetting the cost of medications and treatment.
They prayed for God’s blessings upon the journalists, describing the gesture as a beacon of hope for vulnerable patients battling illness amid the country’s economic hardship.
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