Read What Hospital Did To An Accident Victim Over Non-Payment Of N3,500 Bill

A 20-year old man identified as James Omase, who was riding a motorcycle along Arab Road in Kubwa Abuja, when another rider rammed into him, causing him to fall and sustain injuries, was reportedly refused medical attention for 3-hours on Saturday by the Kubwa General Hospital over his inability to pay a N3, 500 bill.

According to a report by Punch Metro, the young man, who worked as a security guard in a residential building, lost two teeth, sustained an injury on his upper lips, had bruises on his head, right upper arm and on both hands as a result of the accident.

Omase was taken to the hospital around 6:00pm but the medical personnel refused to attend to him until around 9pm, when his employer showed up and paid the bill.

Speaking to Northern City News on Sunday, he revealed that he offered the nurses the N2,500 on him but they allegedly declined to accept it, insisting that he would not be treated until he paid the full amount.

He said, “I was involved in the accident around 5pm but nobody took me to the hospital till 6pm. 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, Federal Capital Territory Hospital Management Board, Mrs. Alice Odey-Achu, expressed disappointment over the conduct of the nurses, saying their action was unacceptable, and noted that all public hospitals were supposed to attend to emergency cases, with or without payment by the patient.

“Our policy is that all emergency cases must be attended to. So, it is unacceptable for the medical staff of the hospital to neglect a patient on emergency. I will get across to the CMD and find out what happened. We have always insisted that emergency cases must be attended to immediately because it could be anybody,” she stated.