ADVOCACY: Edo First Lady charges Edo Specialist Hospital to prioritise life-saving.

The Coordinator, Office of the First Lady, Mrs. Edesili Okpebholo Anani has called for a more compassionate approach by medical practitioners to prioritise saving of lives over demanding payments before treatment, especially in cases of emergency.

Mrs. Anani made the plea during an engagement with the Managing Director of the Edo State Specialist Hospital (ESH), Dr. Anthonia Njoku and the management staff at the Government House in Benin City. According to her, “Sometimes when people come to the hospital, they are often told to pay first. I think our main objective as medical professionals is to first save lives. It's essential that we show a human face in the medical profession”.

Mrs. Anani appreciated the ESH Team for championing initiatives aimed at improving the health of women in the State, citing the recent free cervical cancer screening amongst others. She however, expressed her concerns about the nutrition of women and children, saying, “A healthy woman is a healthy nation. The society starts from the family unit, and the woman is the nation; she gives birth. Once you have a healthy woman, you're definitely going to have a healthy nation. Nutrition is vital to me because most illnesses can be prevented with proper food nutrition. A healthy nation is what we want, and it begins with the woman”.

Mrs. Anani pledged her support for their advocacies, especially those focused on enhancing the health of women, children, and the elderly. She reiterated the State Government’s commitments to fully equipping the hospital to be able to handle all illnesses in order to reduce incidences of referrals.

Dr. Njoku while appreciating Mrs. Anani for her support and impacts, said, “We have come to tell her that we love her, we support her in all her endeavours as she pilots the State's affairs in the capacity of the Office of the First Lady. We at the Edo Specialist Hospital, are positioned to support your programmes.

She also appreciated the Governor, Sen. Monday Okpebholo for his administration's support to the Management of ESH and for the policies and programmes directed towards enhancing the facilities and the health of Edo residents. She highlighted the State Government’s interventions in providing air conditioners, transformers and ventilators for the intensive care unit (ICU), amongst others. She disclosed that the interventions have reduced operational costs and made ESH more effective in attending to medical cases.