*Gov Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State
The Lagos State Ministry of Health has concluded its investigation into an incident involving a patient at Randle General Hospital that generated controversy on social media, saying the hospital provided the patient with emergency treatment and financial assistance worth ₦93,950 at no cost to her during her initial care.
The investigation followed a social media post made on August 31, 2026, by Mrs. Oshodi, alleging difficulties encountered by her daughter, Alimat Oshodi, while seeking treatment at the hospital.
According to the ministry, the investigation established that Alimat is 21 years old, and not 13 as stated by her mother.
The ministry said the patient presented at the Mother and Child Centre of Randle General Hospital on August 4 as an emergency case requiring immediate medical intervention.
She was subsequently treated under the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetrics and Newborn Care (CEmONC) programme and discharged on August 11.
The ministry valued the emergency care provided at ₦75,950, which it said was rendered free of charge to the patient and her family.
It added that Alimat returned to the hospital on August 27 for follow-up treatment and investigations.
In view of her reported financial difficulties, the hospital’s Social Welfare Unit provided ₦5,000 on August 28 and another ₦13,000 on August 31 to support the cost of subsequent investigations.
The patient herself contributed ₦10,000 towards her subsequent care, while the government assistance provided to her was put at ₦93,950.
The ministry said the controversy over a Point-of-Sale (POS) transaction arose after the patient requested a refund of the ₦13,000 that had already been paid on her behalf by the Hospital Welfare Fund.
According to the ministry, the patient said an NGO had subsequently offered to cover the cost.
However, she was informed that payments made by Social Welfare could not be refunded at the Paypoint in line with established procedures.
The ministry said the investigation further confirmed that Lagos State’s social health protection mechanisms were activated to ensure that financial difficulties did not prevent the patient from receiving necessary medical 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 treatment; and the CEmONC programme, which provides emergency obstetric and newborn care to eligible vulnerable patients through the National Health Insurance Authority.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said the state was also taking steps to improve payment processes and financial accountability across its public hospitals.
He said the Smart Health Information Platform (SHIP) was being rolled out across public hospitals, alongside regular audits of fee collection practices.
Abayomi said the investigation had established the facts surrounding the incident and demonstrated that the state’s social health protection mechanisms were capable of providing timely assistance to vulnerable patients.
He maintained that the assistance provided in the case contradicted the impression created by the social media post that the state-owned hospital was deliberately delaying access to care or attempting to extort money from a vulnerable patient.
“The State’s social health protection mechanisms work seamlessly and, in this case, provide timely support at no cost to the patient when she required emergency care,” the commissioner said.
He said the government remained committed to ensuring that financial constraints did not prevent residents from accessing essential healthcare services in Lagos State.