By Ayomide Otitoju
The Lagos State Ministry of Health has concluded its investigation into a patient experience incident involving a woman who sought medical care for her daughter at Randle General Hospital.
The incident was reported on social media on August 31, 2026, by the patient’s mother, Mrs. Oshodi.
The ministry said the investigation established that the patient, Alimat Oshodi, is 21 years old, contrary to the age stated in the social media post.
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.
She received emergency treatment under the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetrics and Newborn Care (CEmONC) programme at no cost and was discharged on August 11.
The ministry valued the emergency care provided at ₦75,950.
It said the patient returned to the hospital on August 27 for follow-up care and investigations. In response to her financial difficulties, the hospital’s Social Welfare Unit provided ₦5,000 on August 28 and another ₦13,000 on August 31 to support further investigations.
The patient also contributed ₦10,000, while the total government assistance provided in the case stood at ₦93,950, the ministry said.
The ministry explained that the dispute over a Point of Sale (POS) transaction arose after the patient requested a refund of the ₦13,000 paid on her behalf by the Hospital Welfare Fund after an NGO offered to cover the cost.
She was informed that payments made through the Social Welfare Unit could not be refunded at the hospital’s paypoint in line with established procedures.
The ministry said the case demonstrated the application of Lagos State’s social health protection mechanisms to ensure that financial difficulties did not prevent access to necessary care.
It listed the mechanisms as 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 to eligible vulnerable patients through the National Health Insurance Authority.
The ministry added that it was improving payment processes across public hospitals through the rollout of the Smart Health Information Platform (SHIP) and regular audits of fee collection practices.
It said the investigation had established the facts surrounding the incident and maintained that the state’s social health protection mechanisms provided timely assistance to the patient, including free emergency care valued at ₦93,950.
The ministry said the findings contradicted the impression created by the social media post that the hospital had delayed access to care or attempted to extort money from the patient.
