Sani Bello Foundation has sponsored surgeries of 15,000 patients through its annual surgical festival in Kontagora, Niger State.
The director-general of the foundation Mr. Zakari Ikani said the surgical festival was initiated in 2015 in a collaboration with Graceland Healthcare in Kaduna State.
Ikani who spoke at the General Hospital in Kontagora where the free surgeries took place said that the outreach was motivated by the foundation’s determination to ease life for the less privileged in society.
“This has been the habit and desire of Col. Sani Bello (the founder) that he sees these things happening, people smiling when their problems are solved. This festival will continue because we know more people need these free services,” Ikani said.
The team lead, Graceland Foundation Kaduna, Dr. Toth Joseph Dogo said that the program was aimed at providing succor to patients with various ailments requiring surgeries and were not able to pay for such services from their own pockets.
“This program is fast becoming like a national outreach program. We have seen most of the cases coming from other parts of the state and even outside Niger We have treated various illnesses for free, which ordinarily will cost a common man between N200,000 and a million naira at a private facility” he disclosed.