A 32‑year‑old woman, Shema’u Labaran, died along with her nine‑month‑old pregnancy at the Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital in Kano. According to reports, her death was linked to her husband’s inability to pay the medical bills in the new naira notes in time. Labaran was allegedly left in pain for more than eight hours without attention from the medical personnel on duty.
The husband, 42‑year‑old Bello Baffa, recounted the tragic events to an online newspaper on Saturday. He said his wife bled to death while he struggled to settle the medical bills at the pharmacy through a bank transfer. Baffa explained that he spent hours waiting for the cashier to confirm a payment of N8,528 for drugs because the hospital had stopped accepting the old naira notes. He said the staff insisted they would not attend to his wife until he deposited the money and provided proof of payment.
Baffa claimed he had initially handed the cashier N8,500 in old notes, but was told that hospital management had placed an embargo on the old currency and would only accept payment via transfer. After arranging the transfer, the hospital later demanded an additional N4,000 for blood services, even though his relatives had already donated blood for his wife. He rushed to make the payment, begged for a receipt, and waited for confirmation while his brother stayed with the staff. Once the receipt was printed, he returned to the ward, and at around 1 a.m. his wife was taken to the labour room.
Regrettably, a doctor emerged from the labour room at about 3 a.m. to deliver the news that “your wife and unborn baby could not make it.” Although Baffa said he believed his wife would die at an appropriate time, he insisted that the hospital’s refusal to accept old naira notes and the resulting delay contributed to her sudden death. He expressed his resignation to fate as a Muslim but urged the government to review the policy that he believes endangers innocent lives.
Efforts to obtain a comment from the hospital’s management were unsuccessful; the correspondent was directed to the state hospital management board. When contacted, board spokesperson Ibrahim Abdullahi confirmed the incident and said an investigation had been launched. He added that the Chief Medical Director would brief journalists on the findings once the investigation is concluded.
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