Residents seeking healthcare at some public hospitals in satellite towns of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, have alleged persistent demands for cash payments for medical services, despite the Federal Government’s drive towards a cashless economy.
A News Agency of Nigeria survey found that some patients and caregivers at government-owned hospitals in Kubwa, Bwari, Nyanya and Karu alleged that they were required to pay cash for services, with some claiming they were not issued official receipts.
Others alleged that when cash was unavailable, they were directed to Point-of-Sale operators or given private account details for transfers.
The allegations have raised concerns about transparency, accountability and patients’ access to healthcare, particularly during emergencies when families may not have cash readily available.
At Kubwa General Hospital, Mrs Halima Bature alleged that her relative’s emergency admission exposed the family to repeated cash demands throughout the treatment process.
She said the family paid cash for a hospital card, laboratory investigations and ward admission. “All the staff we encountered that night insisted on cash payments. Even to obtain the hospital card, we paid cash.
“When we got to the lab to conduct tests, we paid cash; at the ward, before we were allocated a bed, we paid cash,” she alleged.
Bature said that after the family exhausted its available cash, they were provided with a PoS machine, but she alleged that the account details displayed were not linked to the hospital. She further claimed that no receipts were issued for the payments made during the admission.
At the Nigeria Customs Service, Hospital in Karu, Mrs Odunayo Adebanji alleged that she spent about N66,000 during her son’s two-day admission, with all payments made in cash.
She alleged that despite the amount spent, the family was not issued official receipts documenting the transactions.
Another caregiver, Mr Tayo Akinyemi, alleged that he paid cash for an ear swab procedure and later paid N10,000 directly to a doctor for ear flushing.
“I was shocked that a hospital this big and which belongs to a reputable organization like Customs would be operating like this.
“I was asked to go downstairs and use PoS to make withdrawals. On getting back downstairs, I discovered that there were so many PoS operators around, ready to give you whatever amount you required at a charge,” he said.
However, some patients interviewed by NAN reported no such experiences. Mrs Glory Yamput, whose relative received treatment at the NCS Hospital, said she made payments through approved channels and received receipts for all transactions.
At Bwari General Hospital, Mrs Vera Yunana alleged that she encountered repeated demands for cash when her sister-in-law was admitted for childbirth.
Yunana alleged that hospital personnel initially requested N14,000 in cash and recorded the amount and its purpose on a piece of carton. She said staff resisted her request for an official hospital account number to enable her to make a transfer.
She further alleged that after doctors recommended a Caesarean section, the family was asked to pay an additional N78,000 in cash.
According to her, she insisted on obtaining an account number before making the payment and was eventually given a private account number by a nurse and a doctor, which she believed was not linked to the hospital.
Yunana also alleged that nurses on different shifts subsequently requested between N1,000 and N3,000 in cash for drugs after the surgery, without written prescriptions or official receipts. She said she later attempted to report the matter to hospital management but was unsuccessful.
Other users of Bwari General Hospital, however, told NAN they had never encountered demands to make payments into private accounts or unofficial channels.
Mr Nurudeen Balogun, who was receiving treatment for tooth pain, said he had used the hospital several times without experiencing such demands.
Imam Mufutau Adewale, who brought an emergency patient to the facility on Aug. 30, said treatment commenced without any payment being demanded beforehand.
“Few days ago, I brought an emergency case here and the patient was attended to thoroughly without even paying any dime. So I have never witnessed such a thing here,” he said.
Imam Olesin Abdulazeez also said he had transferred funds directly into the hospital’s account and had never been asked to use a private account. “I have never been asked to transfer money into a private account.
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“However, there is no smoke without fire. I cannot say if such a thing had happened to some people, maybe in the night or whatever. I am only talking for myself,” he said.
Similarly, Mrs Mercy John and Mrs Ihuoma Pearl, both patients at Kubwa General Hospital, said they had never encountered demands for cash payments outside official procedures.
NAN also observed significant patronage of PoS operators around hospitals in Nyanya, Kubwa, Karu, Kuje and Bwari, with patients and caregivers seeking cash for medical expenses and other needs.
A staff member of Nyanya General Hospital, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that cash remained the predominant means of payment for several services at the facility.
“This is the trend here. Even if somebody is dying, the relative must present cash to purchase or pay for any services rendered here. “Even down to antenatal and needle purchase, we collect cash,” the staff member alleged.
Miss Anne Mitchell, who received treatment after she was hit by a vehicle travelling against traffic, also alleged that her uncle had to obtain cash from a PoS operator to pay for her treatment.
“He went outside the gate to use PoS to pay for every treatment they gave me, but they didn’t give any receipt,” she said.
Responding to the allegations, the managements of Bwari and Kubwa General Hospitals said they were unaware of any payment diversion scheme and urged affected patients to provide evidence for investigation.
Dr Ibrahim Mijinyawa, Medical Director of Bwari General Hospital, represented by Dr Kayode Oshodi, said the hospital had not received any formal complaint concerning such practices.
“This may be speculation or people saying things that are not really founded, but as far as the management is concerned, we are not aware of this allegation.
“If there are people that have experienced such, they can come forward and we will investigate the allegation,” he said.
Mijinyawa said the hospital had reporting mechanisms, including a suggestion box, through which patients could submit complaints anonymously.
At Kubwa General Hospital, Medical Director Dr Emmanuel Musa also challenged those making the allegations to provide verifiable evidence.
“We have not seen any evidence to this. We will be happy to make some people scapegoat if evidence can be brought up,” Musa said. He urged affected individuals to report directly to his office or through the hospital’s complaint channels.
Musa added that notices warning patients against making payments to individuals were displayed in strategic locations within the facility. “It is boldly written at the entrance of some offices in this hospital, ‘Do not pay money to anyone.’
“We have public complaint box where people can channel their grievances, so they should come up with evidence,” he said.
The NCS acknowledged concerns about payment processes at its Karu hospital and said it was working to strengthen electronic payment infrastructure.
Deputy Comptroller and NCS spokesperson, Abdullahi Maiwada, said the hospital was initially established for Customs personnel but was later opened to members of surrounding communities as part of the service’s corporate social responsibility initiative.
Maiwada said the NCS remained committed to transparency and accountability and was working to align its hospital payment system with the Federal Government’s cashless policy.
He said the NCS had initiated plans to deploy electronic payment infrastructure integrated with the SystemSpecs Remita platform and linked to the Treasury Single Account.
According to him, the NCS Accounts Unit, in collaboration with Remita, was finalizing the deployment of PoS terminals across major service points to facilitate cashless transactions.
On the alleged non-issuance of receipts, Maiwada said established procedures required every payment to be officially receipted.
“Standard administrative protocol mandates the immediate issuance of official receipts for every paid service,” he said.
He explained that payments made during emergencies and night shifts could be recorded temporarily in an interim ledger when accounting personnel were unavailable, after which the transactions would be reconciled and formally receipted the following business day.
The NCS spokesperson reassured patients and caregivers of the service’s commitment to transparent and accountable healthcare administration.
For patients and caregivers who reported the alleged practices, however, the issue goes beyond convenience, touching on the traceability of payments, accountability and access to treatment during emergencies.
NAN
