A pregnant woman, identified as Aisha Najamu, has died at the Turai Umaru Musa Yar’adua Maternity and Children Hospital in Katsina State after a health worker allegedly declined a bank transfer for oxygen, insisting that only cash payments were acceptable.
The incident reportedly occurred on Monday when the victim was rushed to the facility in critical condition and required immediate oxygen support.
According to a Channels Television report yesterday, an eyewitness alleged that the cashier on duty refused to issue a receipt or process payment because the patient’s family could not provide cash, citing the hospital’s internal rule against transfers.
A man who attempted to assist the family was said to have pleaded with the cashier to accept a transfer so the woman could receive urgent attention, but the cashier allegedly insisted that staff were bound by the directive against electronic payments.
The witness further claimed that, moved by the woman’s condition, he offered to pay an additional fee and even presented a $100 note to settle the bill, but the cashier still declined.
He described the situation as heartbreaking, noting that the woman cried out for help until she passed away around 11:30 p.m.
The hospital’s management said it had not received any official complaint from members of the public about the incident.
The hospital representative, Cashier Aminu Kofar-Bai, expressed condolences and assured that management would visit the bereaved family and probe the conduct of any staff member implicated.
However, hospital officials defended their current payment structure, explaining that the Katsina State Government’s Treasury Single Account (TSA) regulations do not permit transfers into personal accounts.
They added that the hospital does not operate POS machines, making cash payments the only available option.