…1978B set presents 300 bedsheets, pillowcases to improve patient care
Olayinka Akinpelu
Forty-eight years after graduating from the School of Psychiatric Nursing, Aro, members of the 1978B Set Alumni have donated 300 bedsheets and pillowcases to the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, in a gesture aimed at improving patient welfare and supporting healthcare delivery.
The items were presented on Friday at the boardroom of the hospital’s Provost and Medical Director during a ceremony attended by alumni leaders, management staff, nursing educators and other stakeholders.
Receiving the donation on behalf of the hospital, Acting Provost and Head of Clinical Services, Dr Sunday Amosu, described the intervention as timely, particularly at a period when many public health institutions are grappling with funding constraints, infrastructure deficits and growing patient demands.
He noted that government-owned hospitals increasingly depend on support from individuals, groups and alumni associations to complement available resources and maintain service delivery standards.
Amosu said the donated items would enhance patient comfort and contribute positively to healthcare outcomes at the facility.
“Sometimes when relatives visit patients and see the state of some facilities, they are not happy. We are therefore grateful to individuals and groups who identify our needs and support us. This donation will go a long way in improving patient comfort and care,” he said.
The hospital chief also highlighted recent achievements of the institution, revealing that the School of Psychiatric Nursing recorded a 100 per cent pass rate in its latest professional examinations.
Speaking at the event, the overall President of the alumni association, Rilwan Adebiyi, said the donation reflected the group’s enduring commitment to the institution that laid the foundation for members’ professional success.
According to him, many members of the 1978B set have distinguished themselves in various fields within Nigeria and abroad, owing to the quality training they received at Aro.
“We were trained here and went on to excel globally. It is only right that we return to support the institution that made us,” Adebiyi said.
While commending the hospital’s contributions to mental healthcare in Nigeria, he called on relevant authorities to prioritise the revitalisation of the institution’s research and training capabilities.
He recalled the hospital’s previous status as a collaborating centre of the World Health Organization and urged stakeholders to strengthen academic partnerships and improve learning facilities.
According to him, restoring the institution’s research and training capacity would boost mental health education and enhance service delivery nationwide.
Also speaking, President of the 1978B Set, Dare Durowade, said the donation was inspired by the group’s deep sense of gratitude to the institution.
“Everything started here. The foundation for whatever we have achieved today was laid at Aro. We can never forget where our journey began,” he said.
A patron of the group, Chief Olaniyan, assured the hospital of the alumni’s continued support, describing the relationship between the institution and its former students as enduring.
“Aro gave many of us opportunities when we were uncertain about the future. We will continue to support the hospital and remain partners in progress,” he said.
In her remarks, the institution’s first substantive Director of Nursing Education, Taiwo Omirin, praised the alumni for their consistency and longstanding commitment to the development of the school.
She noted that support from alumni groups had become increasingly important in sustaining educational standards amid funding challenges.
“The government may approve budgets without immediate releases, but institutions must continue to function. Support from alumni like the 1978B set has helped us sustain standards,” Omirin said.
The donation adds to a series of interventions by alumni of the School of Psychiatric Nursing, Aro, aimed at supporting healthcare delivery, improving learning conditions and strengthening the institution’s capacity to fulfil its mandate in mental health education and patient care.
