Odita Sunday 
Alphaa.Africa Pays Patients’ Medical Bills, Donates Toiletries to Nyanya Hospital
…Firm earmarks N8m for anniversary outreach, urges government to improve health workers’ welfare
By Odita Sunday
Travel agency Alphaa.Africa has paid the medical bills of some patients and donated basic toiletries and beverages to patients, particularly children, at Nyanya General Hospital as part of activities marking its first anniversary.
The firm’s Managing Director, Mr Christian Onyeka-Ugwu, said the intervention was part of the company’s corporate social responsibility initiative aimed at supporting vulnerable patients and easing the burden of healthcare costs on families.
Onyeka-Ugwu, who spoke during the outreach over the weekend, said the initiative was designed to encourage patients and remind them that their present health challenges should not prevent them from pursuing their dreams.
“We are here with our team to support those in need, the patients in this hospital as part of our corporate social responsibility. It is to support the people, the patients in this hospital and to encourage them that, this is just a phase, they can still go on to become whatever they want to become after this period,” he said.
He explained that the company deliberately prioritised the paediatric unit because of the importance of children to society and the need to protect them from avoidable hardship.
“We chose paediatrics because children are quite important to us and they don’t deserve any form of hardship,” he said.
The managing director added that the decision to pay medical bills and provide toiletries and beverages was intended to prevent children from suffering because their parents could not afford the cost of treatment.
“The reason we are also bringing out cash to pay for hospital bills as well as giving the beverages and toiletries, it is very important. We don’t want our kids to pass through any form of difficulties because their parents couldn’t afford their medical bills,” he added.
### Alphaa.Africa earmarks N8m for anniversary outreach
Onyeka-Ugwu disclosed that Alphaa.Africa had earmarked about N8 million for interventions aimed at supporting people in need as part of its first-anniversary activities.
He said the company had previously supported non-governmental organisations conducting community-based outreach programmes, particularly in healthcare, but decided to undertake the hospital visit directly as part of its anniversary celebration.
He stressed the importance of supporting vulnerable people, especially at a time when economic difficulties had increased the burden on many households.
“This is not the first time we are organising this kind of event. Although we used to support some NGOs that come to us, they go to the villages and do this kind of outreach, especially health, pertaining health,” he said.
“Because it is very important at this point to look out for those that are not feeling too well, especially in this time and season, things are not too good. And so, we decided to just give a hand to those that are in need because we believe that health is wealth,” he added.
### Firm urges government to tackle health sector brain drain
Speaking on the growing migration of healthcare professionals from Nigeria, Onyeka-Ugwu called on the government to improve the welfare of medical personnel through better salaries, incentives and working conditions.
He said adequate remuneration would help make the country’s healthcare sector more competitive and encourage professionals to remain in the country.
“My advice to the government as regards the brain drain happening in the country currently is to support the medical personnel, you know, give them better incentive, increase their pay and support them in a different ways because we’ve been hearing their hazard allowance is laughable compared to other countries of the world,” he said.
He added that healthcare workers should earn competitive salaries that reflect the demands and risks associated with their profession.
The Alphaa.Africa managing director also appealed to well-meaning Nigerians to support vulnerable citizens and complement government efforts to address poverty and healthcare challenges.
He described helping people who lacked the means to repay such assistance as an act of heroism, urging privileged Nigerians to contribute to initiatives that improve the welfare of disadvantaged members of society.
“Well, it is personal to give helping hands, but it is also heroic to assist people that do not have the capacity or the ability to pay you back other than to say thank you,” he said.
Onyeka-Ugwu urged Nigerians to work together to reduce poverty and minimise the impact of healthcare challenges on vulnerable communities.
Reflecting on the company’s first year of operations, he acknowledged the challenges of doing business in the prevailing environment but expressed gratitude for the wisdom to navigate them.
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