FROM IKHILI EBALU, BENIN CITY
Mr Umoru Abdullahi, whose wife and newborn baby were detained at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, has denied receiving financial assistance from the Edo State governor, Monday Okpebholo, to aid the discharge of his family.
He dismissed reports that the governor had settled the outstanding bills and facilitated their discharge through his Special Adviser on Health Matters, Precious Ogboru, and Executive Assistant, James Iorkusah, who claimed to have visited the family at UBTH.
Abdullahi refuted this yesterday at the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Press Centre in Benin City, in contrast to media reports that the Edo State government has settled his hospital bills.
Abdullahi, an indigene of Agenebode in Etsako East Local Government Area, said he paid N240,000 at UBTH before his family was released after being detained for 21 days.
He denied ever receiving any assistance from the governor through any of his aides.
According to him, “I was discharged by the UBTH management on compassionate ground after my initial payment of N200,000.
“At no time during my ordeal at the hospital did I meet or receive any form of assistance from the state government through Ogboru and Iorkusah, who claimed to have visited our family at UBTH over my inability to offset the cesarian section bill.”
He added that his wife was hurriedly sent out of the hospital when the UBTH authority heard that government was coming to help him out.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the hospital, Joshua Uwaila told AljazirahNigeria that Abdullahi and his family had already been discharged before the governor’s delegates came.
AljazirahNigeria recalls Mr Abdullahi had last Tuesday appealed to kind-hearted Nigerians and the governor to help in discharging his wife and newborn delivered through cesarean section.
His wife and newborn were admitted on March 20 and were discharged on April 10.
He expressed gratitude to the media and compassionate Nigerians for their prompt intervention which led the hospital management to release his wife and baby without additional financial burden after the initial N200,000 deposit.
