Hospital Refutes Detaining Nursing Mother Over N95,000 Debt

Mojol Hospital, on Church Street in the Shasha area of Lagos on Thursday has refuted that it detained a nursing mother over a debt of N95,000.

The hospital’s Administrative Officer, Mr Salami Akindayo, told newsmen in Lagos that a publication by one of the national dailies had on Oct. 2 and Oct. 5, had that it detained the patient because of the said sum which was untrue.

Mr Akindayo said the person in question, Mrs Blessing Bassey, was brought into the hospital by 3 a.m. by her neighbours on March 6 in coma.

“She was seven months pregnant and had been taken to Igando general hospital before.

“It was Igando general hospital that stabilised her after spending four hours there.

“When she was brought in by her neighbours, the hospital’s surgeon checked if the baby was still breathing.

“On discovering that she was still breathing, she was operated upon in coma and was not on Anasthasia because we did not know the level of her comatose.

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“The operation was successful and the baby was alive and after delivery, she was still in coma until Oct. 12 and the neighbours said they did not have money to settle the bill,” he said.

He explained that her bill was N350,000 and when the husband paid the first installment of N15, 000 on March 10, the hospital had to waive N100, 000 for her.

Mr Akindayo noted that ever since, the husband had been making payments of N5,000, N13,000 and the like.

According to the Administrative Officer, the husband pays in installment and Mrs Bassey had to be moved to another ward.

Mr Akinsanya stated that Bassey was troublesome in nature and that she quarreled with other patients at will.

“On Sunday, a journalist came to the hospital under the pretext of an evangelist and took her picture.

“The hospital was shocked to see it in the newspaper publication that she was being detained because of N95, 000.

“Mojol hospital wants to state that the Punch Publication was untrue. The hospital had even written to some organisation, including Ohaneze group to help discharge Bassey.

“The hospital usually saves lives first before asking for payment.

“Even as we speak, we have a baby in our care that will be one year old by Oct. 12, whose mother has run away and abandoned the baby in the hospital after she was delivered through Caesarean Section.

“Ever since, the hospital has been taking care of the baby boy,” the Administrator said.

Mr Akindayo noted that the hospital had been in existence since 2012 and is a registered hospital.