A fresh wave of public outrage has trailed the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Hospital, Katsina, following the death of a pregnant woman, Aisha Najamu, who reportedly lost her life after staff declined to accept a bank transfer for emergency oxygen payment.
The incident, which occurred on Wednesday, has reignited long-standing concerns over bureaucratic bottlenecks in public health facilities and the persistent cash-handling restrictions that many citizens say continue to put lives at risk.
According to eyewitnesses who spoke to AmiLoaded News, Aisha was brought into the hospital in distress and required immediate ventilator support. But attempts by her family to settle the required bill via mobile transfer were rejected by the cashier, who insisted that the hospital only accepted cash.
An onlooker, who tried to intervene, recounted how he pleaded with the staff on duty to prioritise the woman’s life. He said he even offered to cover the total expenses and send additional funds via transfer since he also had no cash to hand. His offer of $100 in desperation was also turned down.
Despite mounting pleas and Aisha’s audible cries for help, payment could not be completed due to the hospital’s insistence on cash. She reportedly died before any alternative was found.
When contacted, the management of the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Hospital said it had received no formal complaint from members of the public apart from one filed by the International Human Rights and Accountability Centre (IHRAAC).
A representative of the hospital, Aminu Ibrahim Kofar Bai, expressed sympathy with the family and pledged an investigation, stressing that any staff found culpable would face sanctions. He, however, defended the hospital’s system, explaining that the Katsina State Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy does not permit acceptance of bank transfers and that the facility has no functional POS terminals.
He further noted that the hospital faces structural challenges, including a shortage of oxygen supply, which it currently sources from Daura.
The head of the pharmacy, Perm Usman Salisu Wada, maintained that the staff involved acted in line with existing regulations, noting that workers often fear penalties for breaching financial procedures. He claimed that some patients who received emergency support in the past failed to settle their outstanding bills once they recovered.
The tragic development has triggered renewed calls for state authorities to overhaul payment systems in public hospitals, with many stakeholders insisting that rigid cash-only policies have no place in emergency medical care.
