Serving Nigerian Army personnel have petitioned the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, and Minister of Defence over alleged unauthorized charges for essential medical services at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna. The petitioners accuse the hospital's Chief Medical Director, Brigadier General G.S. Ogoh, of imposing financial burdens on soldiers and their families. They claim that medical services, previously covered under the Defence Health Maintenance Limited (DHML) arrangement, are now being charged directly to personnel.
The petitioners allege that a soldier, Sergeant Patrick Yewah, died after being denied a brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan due to unpaid fees. Doctors had requested the scan as part of Yewah's investigation and management, but it was not conducted because he could not afford the payment. Despite efforts by fellow soldiers to contribute money, Yewah eventually died. The petitioners are calling for an independent medical investigation into Yewah's treatment and the circumstances surrounding his death.
A radiological investigations price list obtained by SaharaReporters shows charges for various procedures, including MRI and Computed Tomography (CT) scans. The document lists the price of a 1.5 Tesla MRI scan at ₦100,000, with ₦50,000 payable under the 50% NHIS column. The petitioners claim that personnel are being asked to make out-of-pocket payments for medical investigations previously covered under the military's healthcare arrangement. They argue that the reported charges are excessive and unauthorized.
The petitioners also allege that personnel have recently been required to pay ₦50,000 for certain MRI and CT scan services at the hospital. They have identified several personnel who claim to have paid for medical investigations, including a corporal and a colonel, both charged ₦50,000 for MRI scans. The petitioners are asking military authorities to verify the payments and compare the charges with approved DHML/NHIS tariffs and applicable healthcare guidelines.
In addition to the allegations of unauthorized charges, the soldiers have raised concerns about the availability and supply of medicines at the hospital. They claim that drugs unavailable at the NHIS pharmacy are being sold at another pharmacy, DRS Pharmacy, allegedly owned by Brigadier General Ogoh. The petitioners also allege that some medicines available through the NHIS pharmacy are cheap, substandard, or fake.
The petitioners have expressed dissatisfaction with an earlier investigation ordered by Army authorities and are calling for a thorough and independent probe into the hospital's medical billing arrangements, the circumstances surrounding Yewah's death, and the conduct of the earlier investigation. They have requested that the investigation establish the treatment Yewah received, the circumstances surrounding the MRI request, and whether the inability to access the scan contributed to his death.
The controversy has raised concerns about the financial burden on military families who depend on the hospital for healthcare. The petitioners are seeking action from military authorities to address the allegations and ensure that medical services are provided to personnel and their families without unauthorized charges. Key military leaders, including Chief of Defence Staff General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede, Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, and Minister of Defence General Christopher Gwabin Musa, have been petitioned to intervene in the matter.
Key points
- The petitioners are calling for an independent investigation into the hospital's medical billing arrangements and the circumstances surrounding Sergeant Yewah's death.
- The alleged unauthorized charges for medical services at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital have placed additional financial pressure on military families.
- The petitioners have also raised concerns about the availability and supply of medicines at the hospital, alleging that some medicines are being sold at exorbitant prices at a pharmacy owned by the hospital's Chief Medical Director.
