There is growing confusion in Edo State following the alleged diversion of an undisclosed amount from Governor Monday Okpebholo, which was intended to cover the medical expenses of Umoru Abdulahi’s wife, Happiness, and their newborn daughter. The funds were meant to assist the family after they were unable to settle the bills for a Caesarean Section delivery.
Happiness and her baby were held for 21 days at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) in Benin City due to the unpaid bills, prompting Abdulahi to appeal to the media for help.
However, according to a statement released on April 12 by Fred Itua, Chief Press Secretary to the Edo State Governor, the financial assistance was instead directed to another patient, Mr. Innocent Akpan, whose wife, Mercy, also gave birth at the same hospital.
Itua said his boss’ support was delivered by Okpebholo’s Special Adviser on Health Matters, Precious Ogboru, and the Executive Assistant, James Iorkusah when they visited the mother and newborn at UBTH.
The youthful Abdulahi said he initially paid N200,000, with the CS taking place on March 20, but the medical bills suddenly rose to N530,000, which he could not pay.
The distraught Abdulahi, an indigene of Agenebode in Etsako East Local Government Area of the state, said he paid a deposit of N50,000 before his wife’s admission and another N150,000 after the baby’s delivery, totaling N200,000, out of the bill of N380,000.
The struggling father stated that after the CS, his wife, and baby were discharged on March 27, he could not raise the balance, and while he was seeking help to offset the bill, the sum of N150,000 was added by UBTH’s management.
Abdulahi, yesterday in Benin, lamented that he did not receive any financial assistance from the governor, while he accused UBTH’s management of diverting the money meant to offset his wife’s medical bill.
The displeased father (Abdulahi) said when Edo governor’s representatives visited UBTH, the management chased him, his wife, and his newborn out of the ward and led them to the office of the Federal Government-owned hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Prof. Darlington Obaseki, and replaced his wife with Mercy Akpan, whose bills were offset.
UBTH’s Public Relations Officer, Joshua Uwaila, confirmed that the Edo governor sent two officials to the hospital to offset the medical bills of the patient, but he could not explain why Mercy Akpan’s bills were offset, instead of Happiness Abdullahi’s, whose bills were to be offset by Okpebholo, after media reports on her detention.
