From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
A Kaduna-based NGO, Hassy”s Haven Foundation, is partnering Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Shika, Kaduna State, to provide support to some vulnerable female cancer patients in the facility.
Hassy”s Foundation is an NGO set up to empower lives through compassion and support and envisioned a world where every individual including cancer patients have access to opportunities.
Founder of the Foundation, Hussaina Mohammed Yakubu, told newsmen that it became necessary to begin such support at ABUTH which was the first facility where her late twin sister and correspondent of News Agency of Nigeria, Hassana Mohammed Yakubu began her cancer treatment journey about eight years ago before her demise in late 2023.
She said, “Shika was the starting point for the treatment of my late sister who battled cancer of the throat for eight years before her demise in 2023.
“We decided to start here because I was there with her through the battle and saw how patients were running up and down for financial support.
“As one of the biggest and oldest facility we have around. We are planning to offer our little support in the form of intervention and that is why we are visiting the leadership of the facility ahead of the intervention day.
Responding, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) ABUTH, Shika, Prof Ahmed Umdagas Hamidu, thanked the foundation for showing that its charity began at home.
To him, the federal government and the facility are doing a lot to support cancer patients in the facility. We also have prominent Nigerians among others, who have shown interest just as you are doing to help our patients and we sincerely appreciate such kind gestures.
“As a part of the efforts of the federal government, there is what we call Cancer Health Fund by the federal government where N1 million is deposited into the wallets of vulnerable cancer patients.
“But before a breast or cervical cancer patient can access the wallet, our social health workers will assess the vulnerability of such patient after which a team of medical experts will examine that eligibility.
“They will then send it to me for approval and onward transfer to the Federal Ministry of Health who will then open and credit the intending beneficiary’s wallet the sum of not withdrawable N1 million for treatment.
“Unfortunately, some patient’s wallet have been credited but they are not coming for treatment because they don’t have means of communication.
“The federal government through the federal ministry of health recently created six cancer Centres across the country and luckily for us ABUTH is one of them.
“Already we have a lot of experts in cancer treatment here and we are doing a lot to make the centre one of the best in terms of affordability and accessibility of quality services when completed,” the CMD added.