Ibadan Hospital ‘Detains’ Mother, Baby Over Unpaid N300,000 Delivery Bill

A 35-year-old mother of a newborn girl, Mrs. Adenike Samuel and her baby have been ‘detained’ by the management of an hospital over failure to pay N300,000 delivery bill.

The mother was unable to go home since she gave birth on Easter eve over inability to pay the hospital bill.

Although the mother and child were discharged on April 1, but they were being held at Montana Medical Centre located at the challenge area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, where she was delivered of the baby because of the inability of her husband to pay.

The mother, a native of Ibadan, living at Baba Agba, Wire & Cable, Apata in Ibadan, confirmed her ordeal in an interview with journalists on Tuesday.

According to her, while she had been discharged on April 1, the hospital did not allow her and her baby to go home due to their inability to complete the hospital bill.

She said the total bill of the hospital was N400,000, but her husband was only able to pay N100,000, remaining the balance of N300,000.

Samuel said the bill was high because she gave birth to the baby through a Caesarean Section.

“The bill amounted to that because I gave birth through Caesarian Section (CS).

“I am a Tailor. I had two children already before this pregnancy came, but I never knew I was pregnant until the scan which showed that l was carrying a baby,” Mrs Samuel said.

She pleaded with Governor Seyi Makinde, organisations and individuals to come to her aid towards paying the bill to enable her and the child go home.

“I am pleading to Nigerians, organisations especially the governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde, to come to my rescue and assist us with financial support. I want to go home and take care my children,” the distraught mother pleaded.

Samuel added that she was always touched seeing other patients that came after them leaving the hospital while they were held because they could not pay.

The husband, Mr Happiness Samuel, an ‘Okada’ rider who hailed from Cross River State, said it would be extremely difficult for him to raise the remaining balance due to economic challenges in the country.