For more than three months, a 21-year-old first-time mother, Iqmat Yinusa, has watched her baby boy remain confined to a hospital cot, unable to leave because of a medical bill running into hundreds of thousands of naira.
The young woman’s ordeal began shortly after she delivered her child, who was rushed to Lifeline Paediatric Hospital in Osogbo, Osun State, barely a day after birth. Since then, both mother and child have remained at the facility, unable to go home due to unpaid medical expenses estimated at N700,000.
Iqmat, frail and visibly distressed, recalled the painful journey that led to her current situation. Speaking with trembling emotion, she explained that she had endured days of labour across multiple hospitals in a desperate attempt to deliver naturally before doctors eventually recommended a Caesarean section.
She said complications during labour left her baby weak at birth, prompting an emergency referral to the specialist children’s hospital in Osogbo.
The young mother described the agony of being separated from her child immediately after delivery, as her own health worsened. She required blood transfusions and intravenous fluids before she could stabilise.
“I was in so much pain, but all I wanted was to be close to my baby,” she said, adding that she was finally allowed to join him about a month later.
By then, the infant had completed intensive treatment, including oxygen therapy, but remained confined due to unpaid bills. Hospital rules, she said, prevented her from holding her baby for long periods, deepening the emotional strain.
“Since he was born, my baby has never stepped outside this hospital,” she lamented. “He has been inside a small cot for months. Rashes have appeared on his body, and I still can’t take him home.”
She explained that although the initial cost of treatment exceeded N800,000, the family had only been able to raise an initial deposit of about N150,000. Despite her child completing treatment weeks earlier, they have remained at the hospital since early September.
Appealing for public assistance, she said the hospital had tried to help but insisted the outstanding bill must be paid before discharge.
Her husband, Sodiq, described the experience as emotionally and financially devastating. Speaking by phone, the well-ring moulder said he had spent over N900,000 on medical care for both his wife and newborn and was now completely exhausted.
“This is my first child, and it has been nothing but hardship,” he said. “I have done everything I can, but there is no more strength left in me.”
He explained that his wife underwent surgery, received blood transfusions, and that the baby spent over a week on oxygen support. Additional costs included feeding, tests, and medications.
“There is no work now, no money, and nobody is willing to lend me anything,” he said. “Even if we somehow pay the bill today, how do we survive afterwards?”
The case is not isolated. It was learnt that other mothers had previously been held at the same facility over unpaid bills before help eventually came from external donations.
MEDICAL DETAILS
Hospital officials confirmed that the baby was diagnosed with perinatal asphyxia and hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy, conditions caused by severe oxygen deprivation before birth. The child reportedly did not cry at delivery, raising serious concerns about possible brain injury.
An assistant manager at the hospital explained that the baby arrived with breathing difficulties, seizures, and jaundice, requiring oxygen therapy, phototherapy, and close monitoring for low blood sugar.
According to him, the total cost of treatment amounted to N869,500. Payments made by the family reduced the balance to N669,500.
Hospital management defended its decision, stating that many parents previously absconded after discharge without settling bills, causing huge financial losses to the facility.
The hospital owner, a paediatrician, said the family would be allowed to leave if they could raise at least 70 per cent of the outstanding balance, adding that no further charges would be added after the baby completed treatment.
“We are not heartless,” he said. “But experience has taught us to be cautious. Once a reasonable part of the bill is paid, the child will be released.”
