The near absence of health insurance in Nigeria is a bigger problem than most people realize. The subject of healthcare is very vital because most times, it isn’t planned for. In a country like Nigeria with over 40% of the population (which amounts to about 90million people) living below poverty level, a large number of people cannot afford to keep money aside for anything else rather than food.
Just about 10% of the Nigerian population are able to afford treatment for chronic diseases. This means that 90% of Nigerians are one chronic disease away from poverty, and worse, death. Most people in this situation have resorted to using social media platforms to raise money for their medical bills. The procedure involved in raising funds on social media is uncontrolled, and as a result, some patients get funded way over the amount they require, and some patients get no funds at all. Also, some unscrupulous people have taken advantage of the process to defraud well-meaning Nigerians.
This is why Fundezer was set up. We realize that we are not likely to achieve universal health coverage any time soon in Nigeria, and majority of Nigerians desperately require a means to raise money for unplanned health conditions. We also realize that with the incidences of fraud around many cries for medical help on social media, many people are withdrawing from making donations and genuine patients are being adversely affected.
Fundezer is solving this problem from two important angles.
Firstly, we are creating a credible and verifiable means for patients to get help. Before putting any case up on our platform, we carry out intense checks on the claims of the patient. We get medical records and communicate with the hospitals handling the patient, or who gave the diagnosis. To further ensure credibility, where we are able to raise money for a medical procedure, we pay the monies raised directly to the hospital and other health providers, rather than the patient.
Secondly, we are creating a massive community of micro-donors from people all over the world, who are committing to donating a very convenient amount monthly. The monies raised are used to pay the medical bills of patients in accordance with the urgency of the need of each patient. The effect of this is that every one can get help without the donors breaking the bank. This will reduce the incidences of some patients getting more than they need, while others are left without help.
As a donor, FundEzer makes the process of giving easy, convenient, deliberate and plannable. You can commit to donating a very convenient amount monthly, and be assured that your donation will go a long way to save a life.