The Rotary Club of Ikoyi Metro, led by President Rotarian Emeka Nwosu, on Saturday partnered with the Rotary Club of Adeniran Ogunsanya, Rotary E-Club of Ikoyi Metro Elite and Rotaract E-Club of Ikoyi Metro to donate medical equipment, consumables and welfare items to Onikan General Hospital in Lagos as part of Rotary International’s Maternal and Child Health Month.
The collaborative outreach, held at the hospital on King George V Road, Onikan, brought together Rotarians, healthcare professionals and hospital management in a united effort to strengthen maternal and child healthcare services and reduce preventable deaths among mothers and newborns.
The intervention followed a detailed needs assessment conducted by the participating clubs before the procurement of the equipment. The donated items included suction machines, nebulisers and other essential medical tools identified by the hospital as immediate priorities.
President of the Rotary Club of Ikoyi Metro, Rotarian Emeka Nwosu, described the project as an annual commitment that continues to grow through strategic collaboration.
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“We just concluded a successful maternal and child healthcare project, which we do annually. We collaborated with three of our sister clubs, Rotary Club of Adeniran Ogunsanya, Rotaract E-Club of Ikoyi Metro and Rotary E-Club of Ikoyi Metro Elite,” Nwosu said.
“Our aim is to reduce the maternal and child death rate to the barest minimum, and if possible, eradicate it completely. We carried out a needs assessment, received the hospital’s priority list and were able to provide a number of those items. The hospital management expressed great appreciation because the equipment will help prevent maternal and child deaths. This is just the beginning of our collaboration with the hospital.”
President of the Rotary Club of Adeniran Ogunsanya, Rotarian Daniel Otobo, said the project reflected Rotary’s commitment to one of its seven Areas of Focus.
“Being Maternal and Child Health Month, we decided to carry out this outreach in caring for mothers and children, particularly for their health and wellbeing,” Otobo said.
Charter President of Rotary E-Club of Ikoyi Metro Elite, Rotarian Funmi Famakinwa, said the outreach extended beyond the donation of equipment.
“Maternal and child health remains one of Rotary’s major areas of focus. We came to donate medical equipment to the hospital and also presented gift items to patients receiving treatment,” Famakinwa said.
Past President of the Rotary Club of Ikoyi Metro and current Club Adviser of Rotary E-Club of Ikoyi Metro Elite, Past President Gbolahan Adeyinka, noted that reducing maternal and infant mortality requires sustained partnerships between government institutions and volunteer organisations.
“Rotarians want to ensure that the issue of mother and child mortality in Nigeria is reduced to the barest minimum. We are supporting the government because we know it cannot do it alone,” Adeyinka said.
Chairman of the project, Rotarian Nwadike Rachael Ogochukwu, said the outreach demonstrated Rotary’s enduring commitment to supporting vulnerable mothers and children through practical interventions that directly improve healthcare delivery.
Assistant Governor Adekemi Folorunsho explained that the Rotary Club of Ikoyi Metro dedicates a major maternal and child health project to July every year in line with Rotary International’s calendar of service.
Immediate Past President of the Rotary Club of Ikoyi Metro, Rotarian Engr. Alex Chukwu, revealed that the club’s interventions are driven by professional assessments rather than assumptions.
“We do not simply donate items because we want to. We carry out a needs assessment and, based on our capacity, engage professionals to source the required equipment. This year we donated suction machines, nebulisers and several other items identified by the hospital,” Chukwu said.
Rotarian Vera Ikechukwu, who participated in the presentation, described the outreach as an inspiring opportunity to contribute to healthier outcomes for mothers and children.
The programme also reflected a growing tradition of collaboration among Rotary and Rotaract clubs within District 9112.
Rather than executing projects independently, the clubs pooled financial resources, expertise and volunteer support to maximise impact at the beneficiary hospital.
The latest outreach builds on similar maternal and child health interventions undertaken by the Rotary Club of Ikoyi Metro in previous years. Club leaders said annual needs assessments will continue to guide future interventions to ensure donations align with the most pressing requirements of healthcare facilities.
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Maternal and child health remains one of Rotary International’s seven Areas of Focus, with Rotary clubs worldwide supporting initiatives that improve access to quality healthcare, reduce maternal and infant mortality and strengthen community health systems.
The Onikan General Hospital intervention represents another meaningful contribution towards achieving those goals in Lagos while reinforcing Rotary’s enduring commitment to creating lasting impact in communities.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
