Roseline Ukut Sanda is a member of the National
Youth Service Corps (NYSC), serving with the Nigeria Customs Service,
Ogun State Command.
Her concern for the welfare of the people made
her to donate items to the State Hospital at Sokenu in Abeokuta, the
state capital.
According to her, the consignment is the first
phase of the donation meant to assist the hospital management to ensure
proper treatment of patients. The handing-over ceremony of the
materials, which was part of the 2011 World Health Day Celebration at
the hospital, had in attendance the hospital management and other
stakeholders in the health sector, as well as patients and their
relatives.
The items donated include: drugs, mosquito nets,
gloves, surgical equipment, sanitary pads, toilet rolls and waste bins,
among others, sourced through her personal efforts. Speaking during an
interview after the ceremony, the corps member said the project, apart
from being borne out of a desire to see patients well taken care of,
was also part of her contribution to the development of her place of
primary assignment.
Save the vulnerable
“My decision is borne out of my passion for health
issues, and I took time to make necessary contacts by asking for help
from well-meaning individuals who did not hesitate to assist,” Ms Sanda
explained.
She urged the state government to step up its
efforts at sensitising pregnant women, adding that she intends to set
up a non-governmental organisation (NGO) for pregnant women and orphans
in the future.
“Pregnant women need to be more enlightened on
what they eat. Even without working for the World Health Organisation
(WHO), in my own little way, I intend setting up an NGO on health
issues especially for the benefit of pregnant women and orphans,” she
said.
“I have a zeal for anything that has to do with
health. I believe that only the healthy ones can participate in
societal affairs. What goes into your system is what will determine who
you become,” the 22-year-old donor said.
Service to humanity
Ms Sanda, who hails from Bokkos Local Government
Area of Plateau State enjoined youth across the country to also
contribute to their immediate community without waiting for what the
government would do for them.
In his remarks, the state coordinator of the
NYSC, Godswill Onukwe, represented by the Assistant Director of
Operations, Elizabeth Ojo, noted that the project is line with the
goals of the NYSC. Mr Onukwe however called on other corps members to
emulate Ms Sanda’s gestures, describing it as service to humanity.
The medical director of the hospital, Olatunde
Aigoro, commended the corps member for the donations, promising that
the equipment would be used judiciously.
Ms Sanda’s parents expressed joy. “I am so happy,
and I thank God for taking her to this stage. And, I must confess to
you, her love for being kind is something we noticed when she was
growing up,” her mother recalled.
