MTN office
By Emma Okonji
The MTN foundation, which gets its funding from one per cent of MTN’s
profit after tax, has sponsored and supported over 50 patients from
Nigeria with heart related diseases and other ailments to India for
treatment in the last two years.
Portfolio Manager, Health, MTN Foundation, Mr. Abasi Ebong Udobong,
dropped the hint in Lagos at a party organised by MTN for the recent
batch of successful patients that just returned from India on a medical
trip, courtesy of MTN Foundation.
The Foundation bears the total cost of medical bills, including cost of
visa, return tickets, feeding, accommodation and logistics of the
patients throughout the duration of their treatment in India.
According to him, the foundation had several cases of heart related
diseases, with some of them having holes in their hearts. Over 20 of the
successful patients were celebrated by MTN at the party, with several
of them giving their testimonies and thanking God and MTN for
intervening in their health cases.
Speaking on the selection process, Udobong said “we select children and
adults that have serious health problems relating to heart diseases,
fractures and other ailments. Some of the patients whose cases could be
handled in Nigeria, had their treatments done in Nigeria, but the
serious cases that could not be handled in the country were transferred
to India for medical attention, and MTN Foundation takes responsibility
of their expenses”
“We do not know all those that have benefitted from our medical
intervention programme from inception, It is either they wrote us,
visited us to lodge their health complaints, or we read and heard their
stories from newspapers, magazines and television. We listen to them and
do our selection process, based on the criteria for selection, Udobong
said.
Asked why MTN preferred taking patients to India, instead of investing
in Nigerian specialist hospitals, where the patients could get the same
quality treatment, Udobong said the foundation also had medical support
programme where it established 12 dialysis centres, and 5 Sickle Cell
centres spread across the country, including eye care project, with full
support from MTN Foundation.
At the party, some of the parents of the direct beneficiaries of MTN
Foundation were full of praises for MTN and God Almighty for the health
intervention project of the foundation.
One of the parents, a furniture maker who narrated his story, said his
daughter was diagnosed of a hole in her heart and that he was looking at
his daughter dying because he had no money for her treatment.
According to him, he was asked to get N2.5 million for the treatment of
his little baby, but could not raise the money until he was advised by a
friend to visit MTN Foundation, where he eventually got help. All
beneficiaries present at the party, prayed for the survivability of MTN
in Nigeria, to enable it continue in its good work of putting smiles on
the faces of helpless Nigerians.
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