The Lagos State Ministry of Health has debunked claims that officials of Randle General Hospital delayed treatment and attempted to extort money from a vulnerable patient, saying the woman who made the allegation also gave the wrong age of her daughter.
The ministry, in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, on Thursday, said its investigation established that the patient, Alimat Oshodi, is 21 years old and not 13 as claimed in a viral social media post.
According to the ministry, Alimat first presented at the hospital’s Mother and Child Centre on August 4, 2026, as an emergency case requiring immediate medical intervention.
It said she received life-saving emergency care under the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetrics and Newborn Care programme at no cost to her family and was discharged on August 11.
“The initial value of the emergency care provided was ₦75,950, free of charge,” the statement said.
The ministry said Alimat returned to the hospital on August 27 for follow-up care and investigations, after which the hospital’s Social Welfare Unit provided ₦5,000 on August 28 and another ₦13,000 on August 31 towards subsequent investigations.
It added that the patient contributed ₦10,000, while the total state assistance provided to her stood at ₦93,950.
Explaining the controversy over a Point of Sale transaction, the ministry said the patient sought a refund of the ₦13,000 already paid on her behalf by the Hospital Welfare Fund after an NGO offered to cover the cost.
“She was informed that Social Welfare payments could not be refunded at the Paypoint in accordance with established procedure,” the ministry said.
The ministry said the case demonstrated that the state’s social health protection mechanisms had been applied to ensure that financial difficulties did not prevent the patient from receiving necessary care.
It listed the mechanisms as Ilera Eko, hospital-based Social Welfare support and the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetrics and Newborn Care programme.
“This investigation has established the facts surrounding the incident and confirms that the State’s social health protection mechanisms work seamlessly and, in this case, provide timely support at no cost to the patient when she required emergency care to the tune of ₦93,950,” Abayomi said.
He said the findings were contrary to the impression created by the social media post that a Lagos State government hospital was trying to delay access to care and extort money from a vulnerable patient.
PUNCH Online had reported that controversy followed a social media post by Mrs Oshodi, who alleged that hospital officials delayed treatment and demanded money from her daughter, whom she claimed was 13 and in need of urgent medical intervention.
The post went viral on social media, prompting the Lagos State Ministry of Health to investigate the circumstances surrounding the patient’s treatment.
The ministry said its investigation established that the patient was 21 and had received emergency treatment as well as subsequent financial assistance from the government.
It added that it was improving payment processes across public hospitals through the rollout of the Smart Health Information Platform and regular audits of fee collection practices.
The Lagos State Sports Commission also intervened in the case of her daughter, a young squash player, Mariam Oshodi, who missed a tournament after she complained that some officials of a local government allegedly locked up her shop where her daughter’s sports equipment was kept.
The Director-General of the commission, Lekan Fatodu, on Wednesday met with Mrs Oshodi and her daughter, following the viral video in which she expressed frustration over the circumstances that prevented her daughter from participating in a regional tournament.
Mariam, who represents Lagos State in squash in the U-15 category, was reportedly unable to assess her squash racket after the shop where it was kept was locked by officials of Surulere Local Government.
According to the mother, the officials usually cite environmental concerns for such actions, despite their efforts to keep the surroundings clean.
In the viral TikTok video, Kafayat alleged that while she was out of town, her daughter took some of the medals she had won in previous competitions to the local government office in an attempt to convince the officials of the importance of the racket to her sporting career.
She alleged that the officials nevertheless refused to give the young athlete access to the shop.
Responding to the concerns, Fatodu assured the family that the commission would immediately engage the government entity involved in the incident to prevent a recurrence.
He also outlined mid- and long-term measures, including the activation of a robust policy framework to mitigate similar circumstances, improved communication channels between the commission, parents and young athletes, and increased awareness among ministries, departments and agencies on the need to protect and support emerging sporting talents.
Source: punchng.com
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