Doctor Insists Hospital Not To Blame For Alleged Death of Pregnant Woman Over Deposit of N500k

• A medical doctor has said the hospital that allegedly rejected a pregnant woman is not entirely to blame for her death
• The medical doctor stated that the hospital should not be blamed, as some patients mistreat doctors when treated before making payment
• In his post, Dr Penking said he once treated a patient and even helped buy medications for them, but he did not get his money back

A Nigerian doctor has argued that the hospital that reportedly rejected a pregnant woman is not entirely to blame.

The doctor insisted that a hospital is also a business and often has to survive and pay bills such as the salaries of staff.

In a post he made on X, the doctor said hospitals are pushed to make such rejections because of how they were treated when they rendered help.

Dr Penking said:

"I saw a post where a pregnant woman died after the hospital insisted on them making a deposit of 500k before attending to her. Many people are cursing the hospital calling the doctors evil. But please stay with me. It is easy to get emotional in situations like this, but hospitals are usually pushed to this tight corner due to experiences in the past."

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Doctor shares how he was treated after helping patient

Dr Penking shared a personal experience he had in Ekiti state where he was managing a hospital.

He said he helped a family that brought in a sick 19-year-old, even helping to use his money to buy her medications.

However, he said he did not get his money back as promised by the family that brought the girl.

His words:

"I managed a little private practice in a community in Ekiti state sometime in 2021. When I started I was so selfless and would manage every case first and ask for money before discharge. Most times people paid back my kindness with wickedness. In a particular quite interesting case, a 19 year old girl had used local methods to carry out an ab.ortion and there were complications."

The doctor said the girl's situation was serious and that she needed to be treated with a particular antibiotic that the hospital did not have.

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He said he used his money to buy the medication, but he never got a refund after the girl recovered.

The story goes:

"She was rushed in unconscious, with fever of 41 degrees celsius, heart rate of 155bpm, respiratory rate of 32c/m. iv Rocephin was one of the antibiotics we knew would save her life. The hospital pharmacy did not have it and I prescribed for them to buy outside. When they went to check the price, they realized they could not afford it. Her mother wailed like a child. Rocephin (an apex brand of Ceftriaxone) is one of the very expensive antibiotics in Nigeria.

"I could not stand seeing her die because of money so I dipped my hand inside my pocket and gave her mom money to go buy the antibiotics. I spent 121,000 naira in total, I borrowed part of the money, hoping I would get it back when she became well."

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He said that after he treated the girl with the costly medicine, she got better, but her family took her and disappeared without paying him back.

He said:

"Day after day, after filing in vials and vials of Rocephin, slowly she came out of her coma and her symptoms started resolving. Everyone was happy. I feel fulfilled I came to work one morning to meet the most rude shock of my life. Itunu had disappeared from the hospital with her mother, without paying the hospital bills or refunding the money I borrowed to buy antibiotics for her. At that point I made a very difficult decision for the rest of my stay there, not to ever leave the doctor’s lodge until the nurses confirmed that the patient had made a deposit and never to dip my hands in my pocket again. Of course people called me a heartless and wicked Doctor, but they had no idea about the experiences that brought me there."

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Dr insists hospitals not to blame for death of pregnant woman, shares solution

According to Dr Penking, hospitals are not entirely to blame. He said the solution is for citizens to be empowered and educated to buy health insurance.

The doctor said buying health insurance would ensure that patients are treated without the need for a deposit in emergency cases.

He wrote:

"I know loss of life is sad and generates a loss of emotions. This is not justified and should never happen. However, our anger is misdirected. Our anger should not be directed at hospitals for trying to stay in business. It should be directed at the government for failing to do the needful. Firstly, if citizens are empowered, they can be better positioned to pay for their health or buy health insurance packages."

See the post below:

Reactions as doctor makes case for health insurance

@tobisure57 said:

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"You made a valid point but your mistake is saying “the government doing the needful” even in most advanced countries a lot of people can’t still afford hospital bills. In cases like this government have nothing to do about it. I’m sure they didn’t even go to a government hospital."

@osaivbiedarl said:

"This is sadly very true. Times like these are when we remember how ineffective our government is. It is indeed a painful loss."

@KCPrize said:

"What you all are saying makes no sense! Where did she attend antenatal clinics at? Why the need to change hospital last minute? Why were they running around? Child bearing is nine 9months of planning at the least."

Hospital speaks on pregnant woman's death

In an exclusive phone call with the Punch, the hospital, As Salam Convalescent Centre, said it never demanded money from the woman's husband, as he claimed.

The centre's owner, Rauf Salami, stated that the centre only referred the patient to a better hospital that could handle her complicated case.

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Salami said he was surprised when he saw a different narrative trending online. He said:

“Given the complexity of the case, we advised the husband to take her to the Epe General Hospital, which is better equipped to handle such emergencies. We did not at any time demand any payment, as we prioritise the patient’s urgent need for specialised care.”

Another man loses his wife due to alleged quackery

In a related story reported by Legit.ng, a Nigerian man was left in tears after his wife and baby died in a hospital in Owerri, Imo state.

The man alleged that the doctor who attended to his pregnant wife was using YouTube videos to work.

The man's heartbreaking story has gone viral and met strong condemnation online after it was shared on Instagram.

Joseph Omotayo, HoD of the Human Interest Desk, contributed to this story, adding the hospital's official statement on the matter.

Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng