By Francis Ajuonuma
The Rotary Club of Falomo, in partnership with Leadway Assurance, has invested N25 million in renovating and equipping the Paediatric Ward of the 133-year-old General Hospital, Odan, Lagos Island.
The project, commissioned under the theme, “Together for healthier children,” was undertaken to improve the quality of care available to children receiving treatment at the hospital.
The intervention was limited to the paediatric ward and included renovation and the provision of Ambu bags, sphygmomanometers, stethoscopes, an incubator, resuscitaire, mothers’ beds, air conditioners and mosquito nets.
President of the Rotary Club of Falomo, Paul Ofienbor, said the project reflected the club’s commitment to improving healthcare, particularly maternal and child health and disease prevention.
According to him, the N25 million project was funded largely through support from Leadway Assurance, contributions from club members and assistance from friends of the club.
“We renovated the paediatric ward and bought equipment. It is a continuous project, and the incoming president will continue from where we stopped,” Ofienbor said.
He added that the club would monitor the donated equipment to ensure they were effectively utilised for the benefit of patients.
District Governor, District 9112, Rotarian Layi Abidoye, commended the club for focusing on children, describing the intervention as an investment in the country’s future.
Abidoye said the project had provided important facilities for children and expressed hope that the Rotary Club of Falomo would return the following year to undertake additional interventions.
He also commended the renovated ward, noting that it now provided a more conducive environment for children and their caregivers.
Medical Director of General Hospital, Lagos Island, Dr Olatunde Bakare, specifically described the facility as the hospital’s paediatric surgical ward, saying the intervention had significantly improved the ward.
Bakare said Rotary approached the hospital with its intention to renovate the facility, after which management constituted a committee to work with the club on the project.
He said the renovation would have a lasting effect on the hospital and appealed to other organisations and well-meaning Nigerians to support public healthcare institutions.
“No one government can do it alone,” Bakare said, noting that General Hospital, Odan, was established in 1893 and had now served Lagos residents for 133 years.
Representing Leadway Assurance Managing Director, Gboyega Lesi, the company’s Head of Corporate Services, Niyi Abiola, said the partnership with Rotary demonstrated the impact that public-private collaboration could achieve.
Abiola said good health and well-being remained a key pillar of Leadway’s corporate social responsibility programme, assuring that the company would continue to support initiatives capable of improving lives.
Project Chairman, Rotary Club of Falomo, Tokunbo Adefuye, said the club conducted a needs assessment before commencing the intervention and was able to meet 99 per cent of the identified needs.
He said one of the major challenges was evacuating children from the ward during the six-week renovation period.
Adefuye said the renovation was completed within six weeks, adding that as the work progressed, the club identified additional needs and provided them as part of the intervention.
