The Lagos State Ministry of Health has concluded its investigation into a patient-care incident involving a woman, Mrs Oshodi, and her daughter at Randle General Hospital, following a social media post published on August 31, 2026.
The ministry, in a statement issued on Thursday by the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said the investigation established that the patient, identified as Alimat Oshodi, is 21 years old, contrary to the 13-year-old age stated by her mother.
According to the ministry, Alimat presented at the hospital’s Mother and Child Centre on August 4 as an emergency case requiring immediate medical intervention.
It said she received lifesaving emergency treatment under the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetrics and Newborn Care (CEmONC) programme at no cost to her family and was discharged on August 11.
The ministry valued the initial emergency care at ₦75,950.
It further explained that Alimat returned to the hospital on August 27 for follow-up care and investigations, adding that the hospital’s Social Welfare Unit provided ₦5,000 on August 28 and another ₦13,000 on August 31 to support subsequent investigations.
The assistance brought the total government support provided to ₦93,950, while the patient contributed ₦10,000 towards her subsequent care.
The ministry said the dispute over a Point-of-Sale (POS) transaction arose after the patient requested a refund of the ₦13,000 paid on her behalf through the Hospital Welfare Fund after an NGO offered to cover the cost.
It said she was informed that payments made through the Social Welfare system could not be refunded at the hospital Paypoint in line with established procedures.
The Commissioner said the investigation found that Lagos State’s social health protection mechanisms were applied in the case to ensure that financial difficulties did not prevent the patient from accessing necessary medical care.
These mechanisms, the ministry said, include Ilera Eko, the state’s social health insurance programme; hospital-based Social Welfare support for patients unable to afford emergency care; and the CEmONC programme, which provides emergency obstetric and newborn care for eligible vulnerable patients through the National Health Insurance Authority.
Abayomi said the ministry was also improving payment processes in public hospitals through the rollout of the Smart Health Information Platform and regular audits of fee collection practices.
He said the investigation had established the facts surrounding the incident and demonstrated that the state’s social health protection mechanisms provided timely assistance to the patient.
The Commissioner dismissed the impression created by the social media post that the government hospital attempted to delay treatment or extort money from a vulnerable patient.
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