About Le Pan Health & Wellness.

What is Le Pan?
Le Pan means HOPE in Chakfem language & dialects spoken in a number villages and communities in and around Chakefem District. The Initiatives aims to bring hope to these rural communities as they access good, affordable and sustainable evidence based care within the community.

Le Pan Story
The Burden: The idea of Le Pan Health & Wellness Initiatives has been incubating for many years. Several facts and events have helped to shape our thoughts and bring to the fore Le Pan Health and Wellness Initiatives.

Dr Dimulak Mwanmut was born and raised in the rural community of the Chakfem peoples in the neglected hilly and difficult to reach South Western regions of the Plateau State. In these parts of the country there is literally no Government presence. These poor rural communities have no access roads and no health facilities.

Growing up as a child in my village, Wubel, in Chakfem, one event, out of very many, has been engraved into my memory. One day my uncle was rushed back from a hunting trip. He was carried on the shoulder by several men. He had sustained and an abdominal injury and part of his intestines had protruded out of the abdominal cavity. Leaves from trees were used to protect the intestines from flies and the elements. There was no medical facility and there was no road or vehicle to rush him to the nearest hospital 40 kilometers away. My uncle was carried on the bare shoulders of young men on foot through the hills and valleys, streams and rivers to the nearest town to Wubel, 15 kilometers away. While they waited for the vehicle to come back from market in another town to take him to the hospital, my uncle died – most likely from dehydration, infection and death of the protruded intestines. His mortal remains were brought back in similar fashion and buried in the night. In nearly 60 years since that incident and far away from Wubel in the comfort of our home it has been difficulty to shake off this sad childhood memory.

As we have travelled back and forth to the village over the years to visit with family members we have had to deal with realities of live for these rural dweller that are not too dissimilar to my own experience on that fateful day. We have had to take delivery of babies with bare hands, sometimes using bush lamps, in dingy huts. We have had, in some instances, to transport women with birth injuries, sick children etc in our cars to the nearest health facilities 30 kilometres away. Many times we end up paying for the treatment as the patients are unable to afford the costs.

 

It is also saddening that today in the 21st Century; the Chakfem communities still have no portable water supply. Consequently, personal and environmental hygiene are poor because of lack of information and knowledge. Not surprisingly morbidity and disease burden as well as age specific mortality rates have remained unacceptably high among these people. Most of the diseases that these communities contend with are preventable diseases yet there is high morbidity and mortality.

The Response: These are some of the issues that we have, through the years, agonized about. We have asked ourselves how we can bring some help and succor to these rural dwellers in an affordable and sustainable way. As our retirement drew closer and we thought about the realities of life in our village and the surrounding communities. It soon became clear that we were in a position to do two things:

  • We could give something, of our own, back to our community; and
  • Seek help from and network with people, groups and organization who share our passion to bring affordable and sustainable health care to these rural communities.

In fulfilling our commitment to give something to our communities, my wife and I have committed ten million Naira (N10,000,000.00) or about USD65,000.00 of our retirement benefits to build a small 4-bed clinic, with a mini theater, delivery suite, a dispensary and a mini laboratory. This has been our work over the last 12-months. The clinic will serve as the base for our free medical outreaches and provide care for the in between the outreaches.

Le Pan Initiatives: We have also incorporated and registered a Non-Government Organization (NGO) known as Le Pan Health & Wellness Initiatives with the Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria. The registered office is at Tadow House, 75 Rayfield Road, adjacent St. Finbarr’s Catholic Church. Le Pan means HOPE in Chakfem and the Initiatives aims to bring hope to these rural communities as they access good, affordable and sustainable evidence based care within the community.

The main aims of the Initiatives are:

  • Health intervention programs that will provide health education for the prevention of diseases, primary and secondary care to people in the communities. It will also provide a platform for the stabilization of emergencies and appropriate referral of those needing further care.
  • The provision of affordable portable water and community involvement in personal hygiene and good environmental sanitation.
  • Encourage early childhood education.

Documents and Certificates

Certificate of Incorporation
Certificate of Registration Against Money Laundering

Friends and Partners

We have now reached the point where we need partners who share our vision, passion and commitment of bringing affordable health care to the rural dwellers in the difficult to reach hills and valleys of Chakfem District along with their surrounding communities. Our cry is – Come help us put a smile on the faces of these rural Chakfem communities.