Iwo monarch to donate N1.5bn medical equipment to govt hospital

Femi Makinde, Osogbo

The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba AbdulRasheed Akanbi, has taken delivery of about N1.5bn worth of hospital equipment and consumables which will be donated to the State Hospital in his town.

 The monarch, who on Friday inspected the container which brought the equipment to his palace, said he would facilitate the rehabilitation of the hospital before moving the equipment there.

 Akanbi expressed the hope that the equipment would ease the problems being confronted by the people while trying to access quality medical treatment.

The monarch, the patron of a group known as the National Association of Young Adults in Canada, attributed the feat to the sponsorship of the group.

 He said, “I am happy to see the medical equipment here in Iwo today. The consignment is worth about N1.5bn and they are going to be donated to the State Hospital in Iwo.

“There are various items of medical equipment in the container, but we cannot offload them now until the hospital is ready. We will also rehabilitate the hospital before moving the equipment there.

 “There are digital ultrasound machines, 30 electrical beds and so many more. I am very happy about the resuscitating machine inside. With this, we can confirm that someone is dead before they are buried.”

 He explained that the practice in Islam where the dead are buried immediately might have led to situations where those who merely went into coma or had faint pulse were buried while alive.

The monarch said he was not at war with any of his people because as the monarch, he was supposed to see to their welfare and the development of the town; hence, his resolve to ensure they have access to quality medical care.

 “I provide food for my subjects, especially those who do not have means of feeding themselves. They come to the palace to eat. It is not to make them lazy, but there are orphans, who are as young as seven years old, where do you expect these children and widows to get what to eat?”

The Chief Medical Officer, State Hospital, Iwo, Dr. Oyebamiro Idowu, who said he was surprised to see the large quantity of equipment, expressed appreciation to the monarch.

He said the hospital had never received such from any government at once, while promising that the equipment would be well used for the benefit of the people.