Hospital in Abuja abandons accident victim for hours over inability to pay N3,500

An accident victim, James Omase, was reportedly refused medical attention for three hours on Saturday by the Kubwa General Hospital, Abuja over his inability to pay a N3, 500 bill, reports Punchng.

Omase, 20, was taken to the hospital around 6pm but the medical personnel refused to attend to him until around 9pm, when his employer showed up and paid the bill. He was riding a motorcycle along Arab Road, Kubwa, when another rider rammed into him, causing him to fall and sustain injuries.

The victim, who worked as a security guard in a residential building, lost two teeth and also sustained an injury on his upper lips, had bruises on his head, right upper arm and on both hands.

Omase said, “I was on the ground in pains and people were passing by, nobody volunteered to take me to the hospital. It was a friend who saw me lying along the road, that took me to the hospital. But when I got there, the nurses said they won’t attend to me until I paid N3,500 for treatment. .

I told them I had N2,500 but they refused to accept it or attend to me. I was lying on a bench in pains for many hours. It was a neighbour, who learnt that I was involved in an accident, that went to inform my employers, who came to the hospital around 9pm and paid the money before I was treated.”

The acting Secretary, FCT Hospital Management Board, Mrs. Alice Odey-Achu, expressed disappointment over the conduct of the nurses, saying their action was unacceptable.