The Sage and Enamel Foundation, SANDEF, on Friday donated beds, mattresses, bed sheets, and pillows to the Osun State Hospital, Asubiaro, Osogbo.
Speaking during the presentation, the Executive Director of SANDEF, Dr. Fikayo Benson, said the organization is working assiduously to become Africa’s foremost mental health foundation, catering to individuals with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
While outlining SANDEF’s three-phase approach in assisting individuals suffering from mental illness, Dr. Fikayo Benson explained that the phases include subsidizing hospital bills weekly, adopting and taking care of medical bill.
He added that the third phase entails picking mentally ill individuals off the streets, checking them into a mental health hospital, covering their medical expenses, and ensuring they receive treatment and reintegration into society.
According to Dr. Fikayo Benson, the donation aims to enhance patient care and support the reintegration of individuals with mental illnesses into society, as well as expand the capacity of the hospital’s mental health department.
The Foundation’s Executive Director commended the Osun State Government for permitting SANDEF to operate within the State Hospital, while urging the government to prioritize mental health issues.
Items donated by the foundation include ten beds, ten mattresses, ten pillows, and ten bed sheets to the hospital.
Dr. Fikayo Benson also recognized Adeniyi Adediran, an Ede-born, US-based IT expert, as a co-sponsor of the donation, acknowledging his partnership with SANDEF in making the initiative possible.
In her own remarks, Chief Consultant Psychiatrist at the State Hospital, Asubiaro, Dr. Dare Rachael Folasade, appreciated the Foundation’s consistent support, noting that the new beds would significantly improve the comfort of long-term patients in the ward.
Dr. Folasade revealed that complex factors contribute to mental illness, including social, economic, and genetic influences.
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