…This is the second donation, Dollar’s first donation was N3m, making him the second highest contributor as a person after Waziri Adamawa…
By Zanab Jalo
A prolific philanthropist and spirited humanist, Alhaji Abdullahi Ahmed, a.k.a Golden Boy, a.k.a Abdu Dollar has again made a donation of five million naira to the Hospital Paupers Fund, HPF, Yola.
Presenting the check of the donation to the HPF Yola, represented by the Chief Medical Director, CMD, Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital, MAUTH Yola, Prof Auwal Muhammad Abubakar, the members of the Abdu Dollar Foundation, led by Dr Mahdi Abba said they were at the hospital for two reasons; to congratulate the management and staff for upgrading the hospital from Federal Medical Centre to Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital, MAUTH Yola and to present the cheque of N5 million, on behalf of Abdu Dollar as a donation to the Hospital Paupers Fund.
“Abdu Dollar is a philanthropist who has touched the lives of so many people in different ways; providing potable water to the communities, promoting education and healthcare among other interventions.
“Abdu Dollar has earlier made a donation of three million naira to the HPF. Having been satisfied with the way and manner the donated funds are effectively and efficiently utilised for the purpose intended, he is hereby making another donation of five million naira. Abdu Dollar has commended you, the CMD MAUTH Yola for establishing the HPF,” Dr Mahdi said.
Receiving the cheque of the donated amount, the CMD MAUTH Yola, having commended the members of Abdu Dollar Foundation, thanked the founder, Alhaji Abdullahi Ahmed for the second donation of N5 million, which he said has greatly improved the account of the HPF, hence more indigent in-patients would have access to free healthcare services.
Established in October 2015, the members of the HPF led by late Suleiman Abdullahi have worked impressively and have raised the sum of twelve million naira, which enabled them to start footing the hospital bills of the indigent patients in about the third quarter of year 2016.
With the death of Alhaji Suleiman Abdullahi, the FCT Iya Abubakar Umar (Rtd) is handed over the baton as the HPF chairman.
The CMD has taken his time to explain how the HPF operates beginning with the exemption process that the beneficiary must be an in-patient with a hospital number.
The doctor/team of doctors managing the patient will in the process of management of the patients, identify who needed to be considered and recommend same to the consultant who will then request for exemption form from the head of clinical services, HCS, now Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, CMAC, who will then forward the request to the social welfare office for scrutiny.
The social welfare arm of the hospital will get to interview the potential beneficiary with a view to ascertaining that the person being considered has no means, either directly or indirectly, in meeting the cost of the services.
On confirmation that the patient meets the criteria to benefit from the funds, the details are forwarded to CMAC
The CMAC gives approval for the person to be funded from the Paupers Fund account.
On the basis of the CMAC’s approval, the chairman of the HPF gives clearance for the recommended amount to be committed.
Where emergency is the case, the patient is attended to first before procedure is followed to ascertain the eligibility of the in-patient.
On the payment procedure, the CMD explained that after a patient is cleared to benefit from the fund’s financial resources, the hospital staff member responsible for the services to be rendered is duly informed and the beneficiary is attended to, for an amount equal to but not exceeding what has been approved by the CMAC.
At the end of the treatment, the detailed expenses on the patient is collated and scrutinised by the secretary to the fund to arrive at the actual amount to be paid to the hospital
The actual amount is then paid to the Treasury Single Account, TSA, of the hospital.
This arrangement is done without any cash exchanging hands; funds received goes into the HPF account, services rendered by the hospital; payment for services is made by the committee to the TSA of the hospital.
1,199 patients have benefited from the hospital waiver from the inception of disbursement of the fund in 2016 to May 2022, according to the HPF report.
Prof Auwal has commended the contributors to the HPF, where he observed that for the most part, the same contributors are identified to be those contributing to the fund scheme rather repeatedly.
The CMD acknowledged the faith based associations within the hospital; the Fellowship of Christian Association, FCA, and the Islamic Medical Association of Nigeria, IMAN, to be the only consistent monthly contributing group.
The CMD invited the citizenry to join in the HPF contribution towards saving lives.
Other members of the Abdu Dollar Foundation present at the presentation of the cheque include, Hashimu Buhari, Hon Aliyu Ibrahim, Mohammed Abdullahi, Ahmed Aliyu Dikko, a.k.a Wali Chief of Staff to Abdu Dollar, Yusuf Bakari and Abubakar Hassan Kapo
Zanab Jalo is an NYSC member serving in MAUTH Yola