Gbemi Olateru Olagbegi shared her recent hospital experience on Twitter, expressing her views on a conversation about hospitals requiring a deposit before providing treatment.
Focusing on the priority of treating patients first, the media personality emphasized the importance of prioritizing healthcare over financial concerns.
“You go to a hospital in pain and while receiving treatment – they bring the bill for registration. Damn! Can you chill? They want to admit you and ask you to drop 150k deposit. Kilode???” Gbemi tweeted.
Recalling a distressing incident, she added, “I remember being admitted at a hospital last year, while they were setting the drip (I.V), they brought the P.O.S into the room and asked for a 200k deposit. I was in a lot of pain and bleeding.”
A Twitter discussion ensued regarding the effectiveness of health insurance in Nigeria. A health practitioner stated that many HMOs only pay hospitals a fraction of the treatment cost, leaving hospitals at a financial loss and prompting them to demand deposits before providing treatment.
While some users supported hospitals asking for a deposit before treatment, others felt that emphasizing money while a patient is in distress is inappropriate.