NYSC members
These are not the best of times for Adetoun Adeleke, a National Youth Service Corps NYSC member, who has been asked by officials of the orthopedic and trauma unit of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), to part with N20,000 to obtain a medical report for treatment.
Adeleke, who was ran over by a moving truck and has spent over N600,000 on treatment at LUTH, has been recuperating from injuries and need the medical report to present to officials of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as proof for her absence from duty.
Speaking in an interview with The Guardian, Adeleke said when she returned to the hospital for a medical report from the consultant at the orthopedic and trauma unit, who attended to her, she was asked to pay N20,000.
She said: “I had settled to pay the money, but on asking around, I discovered there was disparity with what other people paid. When I eventually came to get the report, I queried them on the amount to be paid, and the officials told me that it was negotiable.”
Adeleke’s sister eventually paid N10,000 for the report after series of what she described as ‘arm-twisting by officials at the unit.’
“I am a Batch B 2015 corps member posted to Rivers State. I came to Lagos for sometime after camping because I was having issues with accommodation. But while in Lagos, I was involved in an accident. I fell from a motorcycle and a car ran over me. I was badly injured. I was later taken to LUTH for treatment. I spent about N600,000 while on admission and now the officials want to unjustly exploit me,” she stated.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of LUTH said he doesn’t know about the case, but advised Adeleke to channel her grievances to the right quarters for redress. “The matter is not before me, so I cannot comment on it. But since she is a graduate, I believe she knows the right channel to get across to the hospital if she is not treated fairly.”
Guardian