
31/07/2025
I watched a touching video of Okwuluora trying to raise money for a young man from Umuaka, Orlu, who had to drop out of Electrical Engineering, 300 level at YABATECH, due to kidney failure. His dream of becoming an engineer has been cut short, not because of lack of intelligence or laziness, but because of a health challenge he cannot afford. Sadly, this is the reality for many Nigerians. When sickness comes, education, ambition, and even survival are placed on hold.
This is why there is an urgent need for a Health Trust Fund. If government cannot play its role effectively, then communities must step in to safeguard their people. A trust fund can be structured so that individuals and organizations contribute regularly, building a pool of resources that can be accessed in cases of serious health crises like kidney failure, cancer, heart disease, or emergency surgeries.
Instead of waiting for donations after the damage has been done, such a fund will ensure quick intervention, giving patients hope and a fighting chance. Communities can create local health insurance models that is affordable, transparent, and tailored to their members.
The truth is, no family is immune to sudden health emergencies. One person’s contribution today may be another person’s salvation tomorrow. The Igbo saying goes, “onye aghala nwanne ya” (let no one abandon his brother). By pooling resources into a health trust fund, communities can turn compassion into structure, and structure into life-saving action.
Health is wealth, and until we begin to invest collectively in the well-being of our people, many more dreams will be buried, not by death, but by preventable neglect. The time to act is now.