By Osehobo Ofure,Benin City
Fresh concerns have emerged over the handling of medical assistance at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), following reports that a patient in need of urgent financial aid was discharged under unclear circumstances, despite Governor Monday Okpebholo’s intervention.
Mr. Umoru Imokha Abdulahi, a resident of Aganebode in Etsako East Local Government Area, Edo State, had taken his wife to UBTH for an emergency cesarean section on March 20, 2025.
After an initial deposit of ₦200,000, the family struggled to offset the remaining balance of ₦330,000, leading to the prolonged stay of the mother and newborn at the hospital. Abdulahi resorted to begging at the hospital entrance to elicit public sympathy.
“I had no other choice,” Abdulahi told reporters today in Benin City: “I stood at the entrance of the hospital with a cardboard sign, pleading for help to settle my wife’s medical bills so we could go home.”
Moved by Abdulahi’s public appeal, Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, last week dispatched his Special Adviser on Health Matters, Dr. Precious Ogboru, alongside an Executive Assistant, Mr. James Iorkusah, to the hospital to settle the outstanding bill.
However, Abdulahi recounted that on April 12, before the governor’s team could reportedly finalise the payment, hospital staff instructed him and his family to raise whatever amount they could manage. “They told me to pay any amount I could raise,” he explained. “With the help of friends and relatives, I was able to gather an extra ₦40,000, making it a total of ₦240,000.”
According to Abdulahi, the situation grew more confusing when, after making the payment, the hospital staff abruptly asked him and his family to leave the premises. “We were hurriedly asked to leave the hospital after making the payment,” he said. “It felt like they just wanted us out of the way.”
Efforts to reach the UBTH management for comments were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report, as calls and messages to the hospital’s public relations department went unanswered.
When contacted, Dr. Precious Ogboru confirmed that the state government had intervened in the matter. He said the governor was deeply concerned about the patient’s situation and directrd immediate assistance. “We went to UBTH as instructed, but there appear to have been some procedural issues on the hospital’s side.”
Similarly, Mr. James Iorkusah expressed surprise at the development, noting that the funds from the state government were intended to fully clear the outstanding balance. “It’s quite puzzling. We were sent to ensure the bills were paid, and I am currently seeking clarification from the hospital administration,” he said.
As the circumstances surrounding Abdulahi’s discharge continue to raise questions, the family are calling for a thorough investigation to determine whether due process was followed in handling both the patient’s welfare and the funds allocated for his medical expenses by the governor.
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