HEALTH

WBF aims at accessible and affordable health care for everyone. Its programmes encourage proper nutrition, adequate immunization and preventive healthcare for the populace particularly those in the rural communities. Some of these programmes are highlighted below:

Renovation of Children's Specialist Hospital , Centre Igboro, Ilorin .

In Kwara State , WBF through kwara wellbeing trust (Alaafia kwara) has undertaken the renovation of the Children Specialist Hospital, Centre Igboro, providing amongst others:

•  Borehole for a source of clean pipe-borne water, hitherto unavailable.

•  Children's Ward (fully equipped)

•  Isolation Ward (fully equipped)

•  Doctor Consulting Room

•  Nurses Bay

•  Mosquito Netting throughout facility

•  Bathrooms in Maternity Unit

•  Donation of an Ambulance

Partnership with to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital

The Foundation has partnered with the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital in the past five years. This relationship has been the foundation supporting the hospital in several ways including funding, the treament of patients and donation of medical equipment. Some of these equipments inlude;

•  Neonatal rescuscitation units

•  Infant pulse oximeters

WBF is currently doing fundraising to provide a dialysis machine for renal patients at this facility.

THE INDIGENT MEDICAL FUND

The Indigent Medical Fund launched on Children's Day, the 27th of May, 2004 was established to render assistance to indigent children on admission in hospitals in Kwara State and whose parents are unable to offset the medical bills. This fund took off with Her Excellency's personal grant of N1.2m when she saw a child die in a hospital simply because the parents could not afford to pay for a blood transfusion.
The fund today caters to both the financial and medical needs of the destitute, the sick, the orphaned, the motherless and the handicapped.

NUMBER OF PERSONS WHO HAVE BENEFITTED:

• As at the end of 2008, about 1000 individuals have benefitted from the IMF.

The Alaafia Kwara Indigent Medical Fund was set up by Her Excellency to bring succor to Kwarans who can not afford medical care. They both aim at reducing mortalities for avoidable reasons among children, women and even men who have come under their umbrellas. However, even more can be done if Kwarans come to the aid of this Fund with donations of cash and items that will bring comfort and save lives.

EMERGENGY MEDICAL ASSISTANCE

There are cases with financial demand which exceed what the Indigent Scheme can cope with. Ten such cases have been treated. They were ailments ranging from heart disease and orthopeadic defects to other deformities. Some of these cases have been sponsored on reformative surgery trips to countries like India, Israel, South Africa and Ghana.

ADVOCACY ON MATERNAL HEALTH AND CHILD SURVIVAL

In the past few years, Her Excellency, Mrs. Saraki has been worried about the frightening incidence of Maternal and Infant mortality in Nigeria. She has therefore championed several advocacy moves on this front. She has hosted several meetings of stakeholders in family health and has also attended several conferences aimed at improving maternal and child health within and outside Nigeria.At one of these conferences titled; "Women Deliver" in October 2007, she spoke at a forum organized by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on the various medical and socio-cultural reasons why the sad occurrence of maternal and infant mortality persists in Nigeria. She also nudged donor agencies on the need to be properly focused in their areas of intervention and give priority to the needs of communities where such programmes are to be initiated. Our Founder believes that the education of children, be they boys or girls is the key to the emancipation of our people from lack, want and disease. Through her lectures and newspaper articles, she has continued to advocate the education, empowerment of women and the integration of issues affecting the health of women and children as fundamental to reducing maternal and infant mortality.

Towards the attainment of Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5, Her Excellency is currently partnering with the Federal Ministry of Health and other development partners in several areas including the institution of adequate data collation mechanism in the health system. She has vowed that the attainment of these MDG goals and the reduction of mortalities and morbidities will continue to be her commitment until the goals are reached.

The White Ribbon Alliance, The Global Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and the Pediatrics Association of Nigeria, are some of the regular partners of WBF work on maternal and child health.