A PREGNANT woman, Shema’u Sami Labaran, 32, has died in her ninth month of pregnancy at the Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital, Kano due to failure of her relatives to pay her medical bills in new naira notes.
Before Shema’u had her last breath in her own pool of blood, the mother of three was left in pains for over eight hours without attention from medical personnel on duty.
Narrating the unfortunate incident that led to his wife’s death, her 42- year-old husband, Bello Ali Baffa, disclosed that Shema’u bled to death while he was struggling to settle her medical bills at the pharmacy through transfer.
Baffa explained how he spent hours waiting for the cashier to confirm payment alert of N8, 528 for drugs, because the hospital has stop accepting the old naira notes.
He lamented the insistence of the medical personnel on not attending to his late wife until he deposited necessary amount and provided evidence, saying he had earlier provided N8, 500 old naira notes to the cashier, but he was told the hospital management had placed embargo on acceptance of old currency and refused to provide POS service, except payment by transfer.
Baffa said: “I brought my wife to Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital for delivery, because she was already nine months pregnant. We were told to open a file. We did that and then a doctor wrote some prescribed drugs for us and they asked me to go and get them. The total amount was N8, 300.
“On getting to the pharmacy, a far distance to the ward, I brought out the money only to be informed that it was old notes and the hospital was no longer collecting old notes. I was directed to another place to make transfer.
“At the cashier’s place, I brought out my ATM card, but the man told me there was no POS machine, that it was only transfer, plus N200 charges, that was acceptable. I complied, because my wife was already in labour.
“After I did the transfer, it took me another 40 minutes before alert was confirmed and I was issued payment receipt. I quickly rush to the pharmacy to collect the drugs and returned to the ward. On getting to the ward, I was told there was no bed space. It was a total disagreement. We waited for another hour before they secure a bed space without mattress.
“We accepted it, at least for them to attend to her. When the doctor came, he told me that my wife has lost some blood and they needed fresh blood. I had to rush out to call my relatives. Luckily, I got three of them, who came and donated blood. Soon after, the doctor asked me to go and get blood bags. I returned to the pharmacy, but unfortunately, they didn’t have. I went out of the hospital to buy that with my POS.”
As if that was not enough, Baffa said the hospital subsequently requested N4, 000 for blood service after he had brought his own relatives to donate blood for his wife, adding: “I was told I had to pay additional N4, 000 for blood service, I quickly rush out to the payment point.
“At that point, it was late and my wife had lost a lot without medical attention. So, after I made the payment and waiting for alert, I had to beg them to issue the payment evidence, while my brother would remain with them, pending when they confirm the transfer. I also narrated my wife’s condition.
“They accepted the condition and the receipt was printed. I rushed to the ward again and it was at that moment I got there that I was told that my wife was taken to labour room.”
Unfortunately, the doctor came out of the labour room about 3am to break the bad news, “your wife and unborn baby could not make it.”
Although Baffa said he believed Shema’u would die at appropriate time, he insisted the negligence of the hospital to promptly attend to his wife, because of old naira notes rejection, had contributed to her sudden death.
He disclosed that he has accepted his fate, as a Muslim, but urged the state government to look into the painful policy to save innocent lives from untimely death the way he lost Shema’u.
Efforts to get the reaction of the hospital management were not successful, as enquiries were directed to the State Hospital Management Board.
When contacted, spokesperson of the Board, Ibrahim Abdullahi, who confirmed the incident, stressed that management was investigating the matter and the chief medical director would address the public as soon as the investigation was concluded.
The Kano State Government recently issued a directive against rejection of the old naira notes and threatened to sanction any outlet that violated the directive.
