According to Punch, three
months after Babatunde Williams’s wife, Chinwe, gave birth to a baby boy
through a caesarean section; the couple has remained stranded in a private
hospital in the Surulere area of Lagos State.
It was learnt that the
hospital, Midas Touch Clinic, had stopped attending to the baby’s mother
because the family had yet to pay about N500,000 bill incurred so far.
Our correspondent gathered
that 30-year-old Chinwe, who hails from Imo State, had been on admission in the
hospital since October 13, 2014.It was learnt that after the caesarean section,
the woman underwent another surgery when she continued to bleed days after the
birth.
Punch Metro gathered that
the hospital charged N300,000 for the two surgeries while charges for
accommodation, nursing care, and discharge as of December 15, 2014 stood at
N172,000.
The bills read in part,
“As of October 10, 2014: Surgeries N300,000;
discharge N32,000. As of November 28, 2014: Second discharge, N80,500; accommodation,
N34,000 and nursing care, N25,500.”
Chinwe said,
“As I speak with you, the
wound in the aftermath of the operations is still there. I am so weak that I
cannot breastfeed my baby. We used to buy baby milk for him, but we have
resorted to giving him pap when we could no longer afford the milk.
“Families and friends have
tried their best, but it seems they have given up on us because they are no
longer coming. The doctor stopped treating me because of the debt that keeps
increasing. All my capital as a trader is exhausted.”
Williams, an engineer, said
he had been sacked by the company he was working for because caring for his
wife took part of the company’s time. He added that Chinwe’s stomach swelled up
after the surgeries.
He said,
“He lost about six pints of
blood, which I bought for N14,000 per pint. I am always with her to see how she
fares. In fact, our first child sleeps with us here in the hospital. I lost my
job when I did not show up in the office after 10 days. I am fed up. God have mercy
on us.”
Williams added that
although the hospital manager had been kind to him, he was now under pressure
to pay the bill.
“The manager has really
tried for us. But when he realised that his money was not forthcoming, he
ordered his workers to stop treating her,” he added.
Speaking to PUNCH Metro on
the telephone, the manager of the hospital, Dr. Tola Fasaye, said he ordered
the nurses to stop treating the patient to hasten the payment.Fasaye said he
had done a lot to assist the couple, adding that he was cash-strapped.
He said
“The patient was referred
to this hospital when her condition was critical. We just had to save her life
first even though her husband did not deposit a dime. After the caesarean
section, we discovered that she had perforated uterus. Even the blood she used,
I personally borrowed money to buy them before he (Williams) paid me back.
“I had to borrow money to
pay the surgeons. I told nurses to stop the dressing of the wound because the
husband is proving smart. I know he does not have money, but he should go out
and look for money to pay the bills.
“I owe my staff salaries
and I need to pay them. But now, on humanitarian ground, I will tell my staff
to dress her wound.”
Our correspondent learnt
that the hospital, since last Saturday, stopped attending to the nursing mother
when there was no sign that the bills would be settled.
Punch
Quite a lot of money where is she expected to come up with it
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