Professor Gregory Ibe, an All progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate for Abia state come 2023, Paid off bills of indigent persons who could not afford their due hospital bills at the Federal Medical Centre, (FMC), Umuahia.
The patients, some of whom have been discharged for over one year, but are still in the hospital because of lack of funds to pay their bills, were asked to go home following the intervention of the governorship candidate on their matter.
An online reporter got to Ibe that a patient , who has already been discharged from the hospital needs N70,000 to clear his bills, else he would be detained. Two weeks after, Prof Gregory intervened and assisted with the bills.
Another benefactor, Comfort Okoro, from Arochukwu, said that if not for the governorship aspirant, she was without hope of leaving the hospital anytime soon.
After making payments to the Chief Medical Director of FMC, Umuahia, Prof Azubuike Onyebuchi, the professor disclosed to newsmen that it hurts him whenever he sees people in suffering hardship like this after taking treatments and they have to stay back in the hospital.
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According to reports, He said;
“APGA is all about caring for the needs of the people, so, I have come to discharge all the indigents in this hospital.
The economy is bad and we need to start from somewhere to give hope to our people. When we take over this state, healthcare will be given priority.”
He also refused to disclose the amount spent, but maintained that it runs into millions.
The Abia state chairman of ARGA, Rev Augustine Ehiemere commended Prof Ibe for coming out strong to help the less privileged in the society. He also noted the deplorable state of the health sector and called on the government to do better.
He accused the state government of not showing enough interest to revamp the health sector particularly for owing doctors in the Abia State University Teaching Hospital, which led to their protracted strike that made the institution to lose accreditation for admission of medical students.
Addressing pensioners and officers of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in two separate meetings, the Prof Gregory Ibe informed them that he will provide some good welfare packages if elected governor in 2023.
