Woman unable to pay medical bill vanishes, police and hospital in pursuit
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
A woman who received treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, Idi-Aba Abeokuta in Ogun has vanished into thin air because of her inability to pay her bill.
The police and the hospital management are trying to catch her to pay up, and the hospital is devising ways to forestall a recurrence of such an incident.
Elizabeth Saba was admitted to the gynecology ward of the hospital on November 11 and scheduled for discharge on November 16 but could not be discharged officially because she failed to meet her financial obligation.
When her medical bill began to pile up through her continuous stay, she lied to the staff she wanted to buy some food at a nearby joint but never returned to the hospital.
When all efforts to locate Saba failed, the Chief Security Officer of the Medical Centre, Akpoji Joshua, reported the incident to the Kemta Police Division.
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Police helping hospital to fish out patient
State police spokesman Omolola Odutola confirmed the police are helping the hospital to locate the patient, according to Vanguard.
“We are investigating to unravel her whereabouts through her family members,” Odutola disclosed.
Hospital Public Relations Officer Segun Orisajo said the management expressed displeasure with Saba for choosing to repay the centre in such an ungrateful manner.
“After enjoying our medical services, and we brought her back to health, she decided to walk away when it was time for her to settle the hospital bill,” he lamented.
“The hospital management has activated all the available mechanisms, starting with the Social Welfare Department, to trace her whereabouts and recover her indebtedness to the center.
“Equally, the management is working on a number of measures to forestall the reoccurrence of similar incidents in the future.”
