Helpster Charity and Fajip Hospital have begun providing free medical treatment and surgeries for children, pregnant women and other indigent patients identified during outreaches in Majidun, Mile 12 and Makoko communities in Lagos State.
The organisations said more than 10 patients were identified during the latest community visits, while about 10 surgeries had been performed within the first two weeks of the partnership.
Some of the patients are being treated for malnutrition, bronchopneumonia, hernia, limb deformities and pregnancy-related complications.
Speaking during a visit to Fajip Hospital, the founder of Helpster Charity, Nikita Kuzmin, said the team returned to assess patients who had been identified during outreaches in Mile 12 and Makoko and subsequently admitted to the hospital.
He said, “Today, we visited some patients whom we enrolled during our visits to Mile 12 and Makoko. We admitted some of them and came to ensure that they were doing well.
“We also visited the hospital because we inspect the health facilities we work with. It was part of our routine visit.”
Kuzmin described Helpster as a non-profit organisation that finances critical healthcare for children from families unable to afford treatment.
According to him, the organisation prioritises patients from extremely poor households whose conditions are critical and require urgent intervention.
“We identify such cases and select the poorest patients with the most critical and urgent conditions. We admit them into our programme, finance their treatment and save their lives,” he added.
Kuzmin said the organisation had supported more than 5,800 children across the countries where it operates.
He appealed to individuals and organisations to support its work by creating awareness or making financial contributions.
“There are two ways to help Helpster. People can talk about the organisation and inform others that this opportunity exists, or they can provide financial support. Any form of help will be appreciated,” he said.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Oluwatosin Ogundimu, said her eight-year-old son was scheduled to undergo surgery at Fajip Hospital without the family paying for his medical examination or operation.
Ogundimu, a teacher, said she first noticed the child’s condition when he was about one year old.
She lamented that efforts to obtain treatment at a government hospital were unsuccessful because the family was repeatedly given new appointment dates.
According to her, a private hospital later demanded an amount the family could not afford.
“I took him to the general hospital, but they kept giving us another date to return. This continued for almost one year without him being attended to..
“I also took him to a private hospital, but we could not afford the amount they requested. When I came here, they attended to us. I did not pay for the check-up or the surgery. I am grateful that they helped my child,” she said.
Another patient supported through the programme was a pregnant woman diagnosed with hypertension.
The organisations said she was responding to treatment and would also receive assistance with items required for her baby.
The programme is also supporting Victoria Kinola, who has a tumour near her neck. Doctors said the growth would be removed and subjected to histological examination to determine whether it was cancerous.
The Medical Director of Fajip Hospital, Dr Benjamin Olowojebutu, said the partnership had increased the hospital’s capacity to treat patients who could not pay their medical bills.
Olowojebutu said the hospital had previously financed some free treatments from its resources, but Helpster’s support would enable it to reach more communities and attend to more patients.
He noted, “Before now, we had been doing this with our funding. With this partnership, we can receive more support and help more people.
“Helpster also uses technology to reach people in communities who may not be able to contact us directly. We went to Makoko and other difficult-to-reach communities, where we found many people who needed medical attention.”
Olowojebutu said one of the children identified during the exercise had severe malnutrition, bronchopneumonia and skin ulcers and was receiving treatment through the partnership.
He added that the medical team had also identified a 12-year-old girl with a severe leg deformity that affected her movement, a boy with hypospadias and children suffering from hernias.
He said the programme primarily covered patients aged between birth and 21 years, as well as indigent pregnant women with serious medical conditions, including hypertension and diabetes.
“We have performed about 10 surgeries in two weeks, and we intend to do more.
“If anyone knows a child or young person from a poor family with a serious health condition, they can bring the person to us for assessment. Pregnant women with serious complications can also be considered for support,”Olowojebutu said.
Helpster Charity’s country manager, Kerry Matilda, said the organisation worked through partner hospitals to provide life-saving and life-changing treatment for children from extremely poor families.
“We believe no child should die because the family cannot afford healthcare. That is why we exist,” Matilda said.
She explained that Helpster and Fajip Hospital conducted joint outreaches to identify patients, after which the charity funded their treatment at the hospital.
Matilda said three patients were already on admission, while four others had received treatment before the latest outreach. She added that more than 10 new patients had been identified for care.
According to her, treatment costs could range from about $150 to more than $3,000, depending on the patient’s condition.
She identified difficult terrain and inadequate funding as major challenges confronting the organisation’s work.
“We go into places that are difficult to reach. Sometimes, we travel on bad roads or take boats, while ensuring that the medical team remains safe,” she said.
“Funding is also a challenge because we have many beneficiaries. We need more donors and partnerships with the government to make these interventions sustainable and integrate them into the healthcare system.”
She added that Helpster, which also operates in Kenya and Bangladesh, aimed to support 10,000 children in Nigeria
