How Newborn, Young Mother Was Detained in Osun Hospital Over Unpaid N700,000 Bill

A private paediatric hospital in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, has detained a three-month-old baby over an unpaid medical bill of about N700,000, leaving the child’s parents in distress and appealing for public assistance.

The baby, born to a 21-year-old first-time mother, Iqmat Yinusa, has been confined to a cot at Lifeline Paediatric Hospital, Alekuwodo, since August, despite completing medical treatment weeks ago. The mother said she and her son have been unable to leave the facility due to their inability to settle the outstanding bill.

Yinusa told our correspondent that the baby was rushed to the hospital shortly after birth following complications during labour that lasted several days and eventually resulted in a caesarean section at a private hospital in Iragbiji. According to her, the child became weak before delivery and was immediately referred for specialist care in Osogbo.

She said she was separated from her baby for about a month due to her deteriorating health after childbirth, during which she received blood transfusions and intravenous fluids. When she was later allowed to join the baby at the paediatric hospital, she met him on oxygen support and under close medical observation.

The young mother lamented that although the baby has since recovered, hospital authorities have refused to discharge him because of unpaid bills. She said her access to her child has been restricted and that the baby, who has never been outside the hospital since birth, now suffers rashes due to prolonged confinement.

“We are owing the hospital about N700,000. We paid N150,000 initially, but we could not afford the balance. My baby completed treatment since September, but we have been detained here since then. I am appealing to Nigerians to help us,” Yinusa said.

Her husband, Sodiq, a well-ring moulder, said the experience has drained him financially and emotionally. Speaking by telephone, he disclosed that he had spent over N900,000 on medical expenses for his wife and child and had exhausted all available resources.

He said the baby was admitted on August 24, placed on oxygen for over a week and treated for complications arising from oxygen deprivation at birth. Despite completing treatment after about 15 days, the family was unable to offset the bill, leading to the continued stay at the hospital.

Confirming the situation, an assistant manager at Lifeline Hospital, Ayomide Oladosu, said the baby was diagnosed with perinatal asphyxia and hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy, conditions that required urgent and intensive care. He explained that the newborn arrived with respiratory distress, convulsions and jaundice, necessitating oxygen therapy and phototherapy.

Oladosu said the total cost of treatment amounted to N869,500, out of which the parents had paid N200,000, leaving an outstanding balance of N669,500. He added that the hospital had become cautious about discharging patients without payment due to repeated experiences of default.

The hospital’s owner and consultant paediatrician, Dr Efeturi Agelebe, said the facility was willing to release the baby if the family could raise at least 70 per cent of the outstanding bill. He noted that no additional charges had been added since the baby completed active treatment.

Meanwhile, Yinusa’s case has renewed concerns about the detention of patients over unpaid medical bills, as it was learnt that other mothers had previously been held at the same facility before being released after public intervention.