Obaseki pays N1.5m medical bills for 3 albinos

The Edo government released 1.5 million naira to offset the medical bills of three people with albinism (PWA) suffering from skin cancer in the state.

Miss Joy Odigie, the deputy Edo coordinator of the Albino Foundation, revealed this on Tuesday in an interview with the Nigeria News Agency (NAN) in Benin.

Odigie said the money was made available by Governor Godwin Obaseki‘s N5 million health care intervention fund approved to the foundation earlier this year.

She said the beneficiaries, including Ms Priscilla Chikelu, Ms Margret Omorogbe and Ms Doris Olomu, were each entitled to hospital bills of 500,000 naira.

Odigie, however, regretted that Omorogbe passed away on April 12 at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital in Enugu.

She said the fund would be given to her family members to offset her medical bills and bring her corpse to Edo for burial.

She praised Obaseki for relieving the plight of PWAs in the state and making healthcare accessible to everyone.

Odigie also congratulated the state health ministry for facilitating the release of the intervention fund.

She urged PWA to always avoid the midday sun, saying it harms their skin.

“PWA can prevent skin cancer by avoiding the midday sun, using protective clothing, and applying sunscreens (creams with SPF 50 and above),” she said.