Background
With increase in poverty and attendant malnutrition worsened by lack of access to quality health care, the increase in human mortalities and morbidities have become alarming in Nigeria and other developing countries in the last five years. Various reports have repeatedly cited Nigeria to be home to largest concentration of people living below $1per day. As a matter of fact, over 80% of
Nigeria’s 170 million population fall within this bracket. This has resulted in widespread infant and maternal mortalities as well as shortened live expectancy. With the country currently in economic recession, this situation is bound to deteriorate as the Authorities at the Federal, State or Local levels are yet to figure out an action plan to curtail the economic challenge. Typically, the simplest response is to lament, criticize or be indifferent to this malady while a large segment of the population is being wiped out. The demographic structure of Nigeria’s population shows that over 70% are between 15- 40years old. This means that a bulk of the nation’s working population is being decimated due to inaction, corruption, wrong policy formulation and implementation. It was in response to this that Health Emergency Initiative {HEI) came into being on October 24th 2015. Health Emergency Initiative (HEI) is a Non-Governmental Organization registered in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is a group of passionate individuals who completely dislike the manner in which children from indigent parents die in most public hospitals within the country. The vision was borne when it was discovered that parent of a child admitted into one of the hospitals within the country could not afford about N5000 for medical prescriptions and as the result, the child died within days. Efforts towards health advocacy and influencing legislative outcomes by various Groups in the past fizzled out due to weak institutional framework and lack of political will. OUR VISION
“To be a leading global platform that provides health intervention to indigent and vulnerable people in the society, driven by the love of Jesus Christ”
Our Aims & Objectives:
1. To promote quick, initial and instant financial cover or assistance for indigent patients who are unable to provide immediate funds necessary to undergo treatment and preliminary hospitalization prior to regular family assistance.
2. To provide short term assistance to accident victims in need of emergency medical care but cannot afford same or whose relatives are yet to be reached.
3. Identify and assist indigent patients (including pregnant women) who are unable to foot their medical bills before and after they have been treated (medical detention). This may involve paying part or all of the bills.
4. In the medium to long term, collaborate with hospitals, clinics and maternity homes etc to ensure health emergency issues are not arbitrarily turned down without recourse to HEI provided the patient/victim is not associated with criminality, deception or cheating.
5. Undertake medical outreach to slums, rural and destitute communities aimed at free and subsidized access to healthcare services.
6. Collate, maintain and provide periodic health related data to government agencies/bodies, donor groups, individuals and charity minded members of the public with a view to curtailing, minimizing and eradicating careless deaths arising from emergencies.
7. Partner with Health Management Organizations (HMOs) towards providing basic health insurance scheme to the indigent segment of the population.
8. Promote and support health related research initiatives for the good of humanity.
9. Liaise with Medical Groups Locally, internationally and in Diaspora such as Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Nurses Guild, Doctors Without Borders, the Red cross Society, the World Health Organization (WHO,) to provide free and/or discounted healthcare delivery to the citizenry(poor citizenry/lowest segment of the society).
10. Grant access to members of the public information on Health related literature towards disease prevention and eradication.
11. Establish Disease Detection/Diagnosis Centres such as Cancer/Diabetes etc across regions/geography.
12. Promote Health Advocacy programmes and collaborate with relevant stakeholders to influence legislations and policies to ensure the indigent and vulnerable have access to affordable and free healthcare.
13. Support and promote Initiatives and Groups working towards the operation of modern and well equipped hospitals/medical outfits operated by experts.
14. To assist in the educational development and rehabilitation of indigent children, youths and those in need especially person that received the INITIATIVE’s medical support.
15. To promote various initiatives towards the educational and/or vocational development of the boy/girl child particularly indigent ones who hitherto benefited medically from.
16. Any other health related programmes and initiatives especially as they relate to emergency health issues. Sources of Funding
HEI operates by members pooling their individual funds into a dedicated account. Members are free to deposit into the HEI account any amount of their choice without compulsion or coercion. This account is managed following strict quality management principles, lean concepts and accountability. Within a very short period of her existence, pooled funds have amounted from hundreds of thousands to over N4.5million. Till date the principal source of funding is monthly/quarterly/periodic contributions/donations by members who felt inspired by the various ways the Group has touched the life of indigent patients. These contributions range from as low as N1,000.00 a month to N50,000.00 or more monthly on voluntary basis. To enhance financial integrity, a quarterly financial report is generated and shared among members. It captures details of income, expenditure and cash/bank balances. The reports are available for perusal. HEI Interventions and Medical Support Based on the positive impact which the Group has made within her short period of existence on the lives of several indigent patients admitted either at the primary, secondary and tertiary health facilities, membership has grown to hundreds of passionate people with the same vision . The outcome of this initiative has been very impressive. Some of which are :- children who ordinarily would have died from their medical challenges have been cured, discharged and went home; thereby putting smiles on the faces of their parents. Bills which ordinarily led to keeping many patients in medical detention have been paid and the concerned patients discharged home. Expensive drugs have been purchased for parents who could not afford same for their children and medical outcomes altered positively. In appreciation of these interventions, top hospital management of various hospitals have written and appreciated the organization for her great impact on the lives of the indigent hospital clients. Due to limited funding, most of the indigent cases intervened/supported by HEI are within the threshold of N20,0000.00 ($60) and below. This is also aimed at ensuring more destitute and vulnerable patients are assisted and for quick pe*******on. However, there have been other instances where this cap has been exceeded to ensure end to end completion of the patient’s treatment. As at April 2017, over 105 indigent and vulnerable patients/sick people have benefited from HEI interventions/assistance Public Hospitals Where HEI has Intervened/Assisted:
• Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH
• University College Hospital Ibadan, UCH
• Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH
• Lagos Island Maternity
• Lagos General Hospital
• Gbagada General Hospital, Lagos
• Mushin General Hospital, Lagos
• Randle General Hospital, Surulere, Lagos
• Isolo General Hospital, Lagos
• Ajeromi General Hospital Ajegunle
• Shomolu General Hospital, Shomolu
• Police Medical Clinic Falomo
• Apapa General Hospital
• Alimosho General Hospital, Igando
• Agege General Hospital
• Federal Medical Centre Ebutte Metta
• Ebutte Metta Health Centre
• Badagry General Hospital
• Massey Children Hospital
Areas of Collaboration/Outlook
HEI is willing to partner and collaborate with individuals, Groups and Institutions under a strong ethical framework that would bring succor to indigent communities across the Globe. In additions to its usual daily and weekly interventions in public hospitals, HEI is currently embarking of a project to bring succour to critically injured Road Accident Victims. The Project tagged “None should die” in collaboration with Federal Road Safety Corps and selected Public Hospitals in Lagos would further help in saving mores lives especially for accident victims. The focal point is to ensure that accident victims in Critical condition brought in /rescued by FRSC officials are stabilized by Selected public hospitals to the tune of N20,000.00 to be settled by HEI. The assurance that the bill would be settled would ensure the hospitals are not reluctant to attend to the victims. Thereafter, diligent efforts would be made to contact relatives of the victims for continuity of treatment especially for the ones exceeding the N20,000.00 threshold.
“Somewhere in the heart of men is the seed to do good. We only have to water this seed, that it may grow, flourish and spread its loving foliage over all in need.” Anonymous
If you would like to SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS TO SAVE LIVES BY PAYING THE HOSPITAL BILLS OF INDIGENT ACCIDENT VICTIMS NATIONWIDE, KINDLY CALL 08035766767 for more information. We can also be contacted on our Official and only page: Health Emergency Initiative
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