Nigerian ‘Angel’ Has Secretly Been Paying for the Hospital Bills of Poor and Uninsured Patients

This is Zeal Akaraiwai - the 'angel' who secretly pays patients' hospital billshttps://t.co/RoiRLHw9TH pic.twitter.com/i8RbRrJv8W

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 21, 2018

In Nigeria, a nation in which only 5% of the population has health insurance, an “angel” has taken it upon himself to cover the costs of patient treatments.

In most countries, hospital patients who cannot immediately pay for their treatment or have their insurance cover the cost will generally just be billed at a later date. Nigerians, on the other hand, are required to stay at the hospital until the payment is received, which results in hundreds of patients being forced to stay in the hospital for weeks.

Fortunately for these patients, Zeal Akaraiwai, a Nigerian financial consultant, has focused his attention and income on anonymously paying for the release of the poor and uninsured.

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Whenever Akaraiwai arrives at the hospital, he is greeted by a team of social workers who detail the conditions and stories of patients in need of Akaraiwai’s help. After being handed a list of the individuals who are unable to leave the hospital due to financial difficulties, Akaraiwai visits the patients to assess their condition and confirm their stories with the nursing staff.

According to an interview with BBC, the Christian businessman calls his labor of love “The Angel Project” because he wants to be an example for how we should all strive “be the angel you hope to meet.”

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Although the citizens of Nigeria must deal with the tumultuous conditions of their socio-economic landscape, hundreds of ex-patients have already found comfort in the compassion of those like Akaraiwai, who are willing to show kindness when it is needed most.

In the meantime, Akaraiwai hopes to rally awareness for the desperate need for healthcare reform in his country.

“There’s no reason why we cannot have proper health insurance. We have clever people who can think of schemes that can work,” he told BBC.

Pass On The Positive Story Of Compassion To Your Friends On Social Media – Representative photo by Staff Sergeant Stephen Lynch / U.S. Air Force