Abiodun Nejo
The management of Access Bank has expressed worry over the World Health Organisation’s data that 1,047 out of 100,000 births in Nigeria always lead to deaths and thus called for concerted efforts to redress the trend in the healthcare delivery sector.
The Head, South-West II Zonal Operations (Ondo and Ekiti States) of the bank, Dare Adetosoye, said that investigation showed that a larger percentage of the deaths cames from areas where basic health was not available or was lacking, hence the bank’s decision to intervene.
Adetosoye, who spoke at Ago Aduloju Farmstead, Ado Ekiti, on Friday during the official handover of a basic health centre renovated and equipped by Access Bank to Ekiti State Government, said the bank’s intervention was an attempt “to ensure availability of the things that make life easier and enjoyable for citizens”.
Calling on other corporate bodies to take a cue, he said, “We came here because of the alarming statistics of the WHO that 1,047 out of 100,000 births in Nigeria lead to deaths and this is because healthcare is not available especially at the primary level which is the basic place where healthcare should be”.
Adetosoye said that the bank recognised the needs of host communities and intervened at appropriate times, saying, “This is what led to the theme of Access Bank retail operations’ Corporate Social Responsibility this year, ‘Nurturing Love for Babies and Mothers’.
“We chose six locations across the country, Ago Aduloju, Ado Ekiti, is the one chosen for this geo-political area. The remaining five are in Rivers, Kaduna, Lagos, Nasarawa and Bauchi states”.
Adetosoye, said, “Here, we have provided an ambulance stretcher in case of an emergency, we provided a ramp for those who are being wheeled, two new delivery beds for the delivery room, a double suction machine which is used for taking care of children and mothers at birth.
“We also provided a wheel chair in the event that there is a need for moving somebody that cannot walk and needs attention and we provided a steriliser. We did all the furnishing, we changed the ceiling, changed the windows and we repaired and painted everywhere. We also provided potable water supply,” the banker said.
Ekiti State Commissioner for Health, Dr Oyebanji Filani, who appreciated the bank for the gesture, said, “With this, you have taken a burden off the state government.”
Filani, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Olusola Gbenga-Igotun, said the state government was paying a lot of attention to healthcare delivery in the people’s interest, urging the people of the area to patronise the facility and make good use of it.
