Eighteen patients who had spend about one year at Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, were on Wednesday, allowed to go by the hospital after their accumulated bills were cleared by Prof Gregory Ibe.
Prof Ibe who is the founder of Gregory University, Uturu and governorship candidate of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) made the donation during his surprise visit to the hospital.
The patients before Ibe’s intervention, had been discharged from their various illnesses but were still held back from going home ,by FMC because of their inability to pay the mounting bills.
But during the visit, Ibe requested to be provided with details of the indigent patients and subsequently cleared them.
The undisclosed amount of money was handed over to the Chief Medical Director of FMC, Umuahia, Prof Azubuike Onyebuchi.
When the names of the beneficiaries were read out and told to go, they sprang up in joy, thanking Prof Ibe for ‘rescuing’ them from shame.
Some of the patients who spoke to Journalists, Mrs Comfort Okoro, Mrs Chinyere Nwankwo among others said they had spent various number of months in the hospital even after they had been satisfied free of their medical challenges.
The patients recalled that their inability to pay their hospital bills kept them in the hospital until they were surprisingly told to go home, that someone had paid the bills.
“We have been here for many months now. The shame, pains and humiliation of being held in the hospital were so much. But may God bless this man. I don’t even know how he got hint of our condition here”, Mrs Chinyere Nwankwo.
News Echo gathered that the beneficiaries included a mother who gave birth, elderly patients, youths and other patients.
