A pregnant woman, Aisha Najamu, died at Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Hospital in Katsina after staff allegedly refused to accept a bank transfer for emergency oxygen, insisting that hospital policy allowed cash payments only. Eyewitnesses said she arrived in critical condition and needed urgent ventilation, but the cashier declined a mobile transfer even when a bystander offered to cover the entire bill and later offered $100, all of which were rejected due to policy restrictions.
The hospital management expressed condolences and promised an investigation but also defended the staff, citing the state government’s TSA policy, lack of a POS machine, and a general oxygen shortage as factors.