Logos Circle Benin City - August 2026 Report
Winnable Issue: Hospital Outreach
Date: August 30, 2026
Location: University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin City, Edo, Nigeria
Languages: English
Circle Steward: Paschal
Attendees: 6
Overview
The walls of a hospital are filled with different stories.
There are patients battling with their health, praying and hoping to get better someday. There are also people who have already received treatment and are ready to go home, but cannot leave because they are unable to afford their hospital bills.
For August, we decided to make our winnable issue about supporting some of these patients with their bills.
Getting There
We enquired about the hospital’s visiting hours and went on a Sunday afternoon. We met with the matron, who confirmed that there were indeed discharged patients unable to settle their bills.
We were not able to make any payments that day, as the personnel responsible were unavailable, and we were asked to return the following day when the PR would be around.
We returned the next day and met with the PR, who welcomed the initiative and expressed appreciation for what Logos Circle was doing. We were also informed that, due to previous incidents, hospital policy does not permit capturing patients without proper permission. Where a patient or parent was willing to be interviewed and gave their consent, we could proceed.
Case One
The first case was a six-year-old child who had been ill, received treatment, and was ready to be discharged. The parents were unable to settle the hospital bill, so the child could not go home.
The bill was high, but we were able to contribute funds towards settling it. The child’s mother gave her permission to be interviewed and expressed her appreciation to Logos Circle.
Case Two
The second case was a woman whose baby had a heart condition. The baby had received treatment and was ready to be discharged, but she was unable to settle the bill. She had also been left to care for her child alone after her husband abandoned them.
We were able to support her as well.
In the Wards
After supporting the two cases, we moved to the patients’ ward, where we distributed detergents and bar soaps and spent time interacting with the patients.
That part mattered more than we expected. Beyond the practical items, simply sitting with people, listening, and letting them know that someone outside their family had come to see them made a real difference to the atmosphere in the room.
What We Learned
Hospitals have procedures, and they exist for good reason. Our first visit could not proceed because the right personnel were unavailable, and we needed to return the following day. For future outreaches, we will confirm in advance which staff need to be present and what approvals are required, so that support can be delivered on the same visit.
We also learned to respect the hospital’s policy on patient privacy. Nothing was documented without the explicit consent of the patient or their parent, and we would encourage other Circles planning hospital outreaches to take the same approach.
Reflection
Two families went home this month who would otherwise still be waiting.
It is easy to think of hospital bills as an administrative matter, but for a family without the means, an unpaid bill is the difference between a child sleeping at home and a child still in a hospital bed after they have already recovered. This was a small intervention, but for those two families it changed the week completely.
This is what our Circle is about. Moving beyond the discussion room, showing up where people actually need us, and doing what we can with what we have.
What’s Next
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Continue identifying practical, local winnable issues the Circle can deliver each month
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Build a relationship with UBTH so future visits can be arranged more smoothly
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Explore how the Circle can raise funds to support more cases in future outreaches
Media
https://x.com/maddeningsmart/status/2094861770640765282?s=46