A mother of quadruplet and widow, Mrs. Chinyere Onyechere has lamented that her inability to settle an outstanding hospital bill of three hundred and thirty eight thousand, five hundred naira (N338, 500) has forced her into confinement at the Imo State University Teaching Hospital Orlu, for more than three months after delivery.
Though she is very grateful to the wife of the Executive Governor of Imo State, Nneoma Nkechi Okorocha, who on hearing of her precarious plight sent the management of Imo Foundation to assist her, no one else has cared after her continued existence and those of the 4 kids, except for staff of the Teaching Hospital, good spirited individuals and non-governmental organisations. It was as a result of this difficult situation that she hereby calls on all public spirited individuals and charity organizations to come to her rescue.
While speaking to Community Watchdog correspondent who visited her at the Teaching Hospital Complex Umuna, Orlu she applauded the wife of the Governor for defraying 20% of the hospital bill but regretted that it was not enough to grant her a discharge from the hospital.
Looking highly famished and distressed, the lady who claimed that she lost her husband while she was carrying the pregnancy of the quadruplets, complained bitterly that the four kids have continued to live on her breast milk alone since she has no money to procure babies food from the open market. She added that but for some relations at her paternal home Ngor Okapala and marital home at Umuozu Nwangele who are presently living with some of her previous six children, before the coming of the quadruplet, they would probably be dropping out of school for lack of finance.
Our source at the hospital however revealed that why the bill of N338, 500 is still outstanding is because the N80, 000 which the Barr. Ngozi Njoku led Imo Foundation donated to her was used to assist her with domestic utilities, toiletries and cosmetics. She therefore pleaded with the Governor to come to her rescue. It was also discovered that part of the reason for the huge debt burden was because the infants spent a minimum of 2 months in the incubators, immediately after the delivery.
According to one of the nurses, Mrs. Chioma Osuagwu, who also volunteered to speak to the Community Watchdog, “if nothing is done in time to assist the widow and the mother of a total of ten kids, the kids could be deformed or have stunted growth which could complicate or compound the problem for the family? Already the distressed widow is lacking accommodation and basic facilities to manage the crowd of ten, hence our appeal on her behalf for maximum care and financial assistance from well meaning individuals in our society and charity organizations. You can reach her through her telephone number – 08137040773
Courtesy: Community Watchdog Newspaper
