By Kingsley Adegboye

In what has become an annual ritual for the past 35 years, Rotary Club of Ikeja spent the early hours of Christmas day with patients at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH and Ikeja. General Hospital. Members of the group danced as they distributed gifts to patients at various wards as part of their humanitarian efforts to bring succour to the sick who were forced to celebrate Christmas at the hospitals.

The event which was graced by the Lagos state commissioner of Health, Dr Jide Idris, also witnessed visitation of several wards in the hospital, presentation of gifts and awards to staff of the hospitals.

The President of the club, Tosin Kadiri, an estate surveyor and valuer, expressed happiness that the Rotary was able to put smiles on the faces of the patients as well as reduce the burden of the hospital through the donations.

“It is the tradition of the club in the past 30 years to spend the first Christmas hours with patients of the hospital,” he said.

The donations which included an incubator, three Spygnomanometers, 200 hundred bed spreads, 200 pillow cases and standing fans for surgical operations, were as a result of needs assessment carried out in the hospital by the club.

Kadiri expressed willingness to continue to programme because of the impact it has on the patients.

Elated by the gesture, Dr Idris extolled Rotary Club of Ikeja for sustaining the programme in the last 40 years. He recalled that the club has so far donated equipment worth over $1million to the hospital. Dr Idris said it was a reflection of the club’s dedication to service to Nigerians particularly LASUTH.

Represented by the Chief Medical Director of LASUTH, Prof. Adewale Oke, the commissioner said the patients will be forever grateful to the club.