A pregnant woman, Aisha Najamu, has died at the Turai Umaru Musa Yar’adua Maternity and Children Hospital, Katsina, after a health worker allegedly insisted on cash payment for an oxygen service, Channels Television reports.
The incident occurred on Monday when the woman, who was said to be in critical condition, was brought to the hospital in need of urgent oxygen support.
An eyewitness told journalists on Friday that the cashier on duty allegedly declined to accept a bank transfer from the patient’s relatives, insisting that the hospital’s internal policy permitted only cash payments.
According to him, efforts by a sympathiser to persuade the cashier to accept a transfer were unsuccessful, as the official maintained that the facility strictly adhered to the state’s Treasury Single Account (TSA) guidelines.
He said he later offered additional money and even presented a $100 bill to facilitate payment for the oxygen service, but the cashier still refused to process the transaction.
The eyewitness described the situation as distressing, adding that the woman “cried for help until she died” at about 11:30 p.m.
When contacted, the hospital management said it had not received any official complaint on the matter except through a human rights organisation, IHRAAC.
A cashier at the facility, Aminu Kofar-Bai, conveyed the hospital’s condolences to the family and said management would investigate the conduct of any staff member found to have acted negligently.
Hospital officials, however, defended the payment policy, explaining that the Katsina State Government’s TSA rules prohibit receiving transfers into personal accounts and that the facility has no POS machines and relies solely on cash transactions.
They also cited a shortage of medical oxygen, which they said was often sourced from Daura Local Government Area.
The Head of Pharmacy, Usman Salisu Wada, acknowledged the limited oxygen supply but said the staff member involved “may have over-adhered” to policy out of fear of being accused of wrongdoing.
He added that the hospital had experienced cases where patients assisted during emergencies later failed to settle their bills.
