Speaker Dogara Settles Patients’ N3.76m Hospital Bills

House of Representatives speaker, Yakubu Dogara, on Friday spent N3.76 million to settle bills of patients at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi. The bills of N1.26 million for five patients with critical issues were settled while N2.5 million dropped with the hospital’s management to cover the bills of other patients.

Out of the critical cases, N500,000 was paid for a cancer patient, N300,000 for an orthopaedic case, N200,000 each for a policeman with gunshot injury and an unsettled bill, and N60,000 for a man with renal problem. 

Dogara, who made the gesture during a visit to hospital, said he was there to assess the quality of facilities and to assist indigent patients.

He said that the settlement of the bills was with the assistance of some of his colleagues, who had concern for patients in need. “We came to assess the quality of facilities here to see where we can assist. As lawmakers, we appropriate funds for Federal Government agencies and the visit is to identify areas we can assist. “I want to say that with the contribution from some of my colleagues, I will settle the bills of some of the cases we came across”.

He said that visit to the hospital was part of his tour of projects in his constituency "and to thank the people of the state for their support."