Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has settled the medical bills of a pregnant woman and her husband, who are currently receiving treatment for severe burns following a fire incident in Ekpoma.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Patrick Ebojele, on Sunday.
It was stated that the governor made the intervention during a visit to the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, where he also paid the medical expenses of several other patients admitted in different wards of the hospital.
Speaking with journalists after the visit, Okpebholo explained that the pregnant woman had initially approached him seeking financial assistance for her husband, who sustained serious fire burns.
According to him, the situation became urgent after his medical team discovered that the woman was due for delivery and immediately arranged for her to be taken to the hospital.
“The woman came to seek help for her husband because they were looking for money to pay his bills. When my doctors saw her and observed she was due, they rushed her to the hospital immediately, where she later put to birth through cesarean operations,” the governor said.
Okpebholo disclosed that doctors later carried out a cesarean section which led to the safe delivery of the baby.
“We have agreed with the hospital management to pay the bills and those of other patients we met in the ward. So they have no reason to cry over payments of bills. By this, their treatment can continue,” he added.
The governor expressed optimism that the victims receiving treatment would recover soon.
“By the grace of God, we believe that the man and others in the ICU unit will recover speedily,” he said.
Okpebholo further explained that beyond assisting the family involved in the fire incident, he directed that the medical bills of several other patients receiving treatment in different wards of the hospital be paid by the state government.
He said the gesture formed part of his administration’s commitment to supporting residents of Edo State, especially those facing medical emergencies and financial difficulties.
Patients and relatives who benefited from the governor’s intervention expressed appreciation for the gesture, describing it as timely relief from the pressure of rising hospital bills.