Baby born without anus gets lifeline as Onyejeocha vows to foot ₦5m surgery bill

Moved by the plight of an infant born without an anus, former Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, has vowed to personally fund the child's corrective surgery, estimated to cost between ₦3 million and ₦5 million. Onyejeocha declared that poverty should never condemn a child to death, especially when the mother cannot afford even a fraction of the required medical expenses.

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If this outreach doesn’t help her, who will? The young mother cannot even afford ₦50,000, yet she has been told to produce between ₦3 million and ₦5 million for surgery.

The former minister's commitment came during a week-long free medical outreach she is conducting across the Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency. This initiative, which has been ongoing for 19 years, provides medical care to numerous individuals. Onyejeocha extended the outreach to the nomadic school at the Lokpanta Regional Cattle market, ensuring that pupils, women, and the broader Northern community at the market received free medical treatment.

Onyejeocha explained that the baby currently passes waste through an abdominal opening and requires specialized surgery for survival. She sees the child's case as emblematic of a silent health crisis affecting many impoverished families who are unable to afford essential medical care for their loved ones. This humanitarian program, which predates her political career, is a continuation of a family tradition of caring for the sick, inspired by her grandmother.

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I have instructed the medical team that once they identify patients whose conditions cannot be managed here, they should admit them in hospital and send the bills to me.

She stated that the current outreach aims to treat approximately 1,000 people, with more complex cases being referred for advanced care at her expense. Onyejeocha acknowledged the significant burden on healthcare systems, even with government investment, underscoring the indispensable role of private humanitarian interventions. "For me, every life matters," she asserted, vowing to continue her efforts as long as she has the strength and resources, because "nobody should die simply because they are poor."

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For me, every life matters. If God gives me the strength and the resources, I will continue because nobody should die simply because they are poor.