A housewife, Amarachi Lemchi, who was delivered of twins at a private hospital, Obioma Hospital and Maternity Centre in Aboh Mbaise, Imo State, has been detained by the hospital management.
It was learnt that Amarachi’s family owed the hospital N75,600, after paying N20,000 of the N95,600 bill charged by the hospital.
Amarachi and her husband, Azubuike, who are both indigenes of Imo State, reportedly got married in December 2016.
The 30-year-old woman reportedly become pregnant early 2017 and was registered with Robert Maternity Centre, in Ezinwe, Isiala Mbano LGA of the state.
However, on her due date on December 22, 2017, she was said to have developed complications, which made the maternity centre to refer her to the private hospital.
Amarachi, who spoke to our correspondent on Thursday, said she underwent a caesarian section during which one of the babies died.
She said, “I never planned to have a CS. Everything was fine until on the day of my delivery when I started bleeding. I was pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl. It was the female baby that attempted to come out first. However, the midwife told me that she didn’t come out through the right position. She said the baby was coming out through the buttocks. I tried my best, but the bleeding was excessive and my husband rushed me to Obioma Hospital. The doctor said I could not deliver normally and it would be through a CS. During the delivery, the girl died, but the boy survived.”
She noted that a week after the operation, while the nurses were dressing the wounds, there was a problem which necessitated another surgery.
In the end, she said her family was given a bill which her husband could not raise.
“We are having financial problems. I don’t have a job and my husband is a commercial motorcycle rider. He struggled to pay N20,000 out of the money, but we are still owing and that is why I have not been able to leave the hospital,” she added.
The husband, 35-year-old Azubuike, lamented that his efforts to raise the funds had been abortive, saying the family needed help.
The owner of the medical facility, who identified himself only as Dr Obioma, said the hospital sometime released patients during some special programmes.
He, however, noted that such relief programmes were not on.
He said, “She was referred from a maternity centre around my hospital. She recovered from all the complications and her bill was N95,600. I think they have paid part and their balance is N75,600. Once in a while, as we may deem fit, we say children below one year should be given free treatment, or pregnant women who delivered in a particular month should not pay. But we are not doing that for now.” – Punch.
