Zainab Buba Galadima, a former member of the All Progressives Congress and former technical assistant to the Vice President Kashim Shettima, has shared a personal story about a medical emergency involving her son that she says exposed deep problems in Nigeria’s health system.
Naija News reports that she spoke during an appearance on the Mic on Podcast, where she described how her son suddenly became very ill in the middle of the night.
According to her, the child had difficulty breathing and began convulsing, which forced her to rush him to a hospital near her home around 1 a.m...READ FULL; FROM THE SOURCE.
She said that when they arrived at the hospital, a nurse was available, but the doctor on duty in pediatrics was asleep.
She explained that the situation was urgent, and she had left home in panic without her phone or money.
In her account, she tried to explain her identity and called on staff to assist quickly because of her son’s condition.She added that her child’s health was already getting worse and she feared for his life.
However, she said the response she received was not what she expected. She claimed a hospital worker told her she would need to make a payment before her son could be treated, even though it was an emergency situation. She said this demand shocked her because of how critical her son’s condition was at the time.
She also described her frustration at being asked to leave and return with money while her child was struggling to breathe. She questioned the safety of such a request given the seriousness of the situation.
She explained that her son’s condition was temporarily managed at home before they reached the hospital, which helped slow things down. She also said that a doctor who knew her family later came to assist after being called, and treatment began immediately once proper attention was given.
After contacting relatives who brought payment, she said the situation was eventually resolved. She noted that the total amount requested was small, which made her question why treatment could not have started immediately.
She said the experience left her deeply troubled, adding that it showed how payment requirements in some hospitals can delay urgent care, even when lives are at risk.
She said: “One day, Nigeria happened to me. My son was sick, he couldn’t breathe, he was convulsing. So I ran to the hospital with him at 1:00 a.m.” “I told them that, look, I live across the road. My name is Zainab Galadima. I am a technical assistant to the vice president. Please, my brother works here. He was on call yesterday. Please, can you assist me?
“Help me because my son cannot breathe. His eyes were already turning white,” “Drop your child there and go and bring 10 to 15,000 naira,” “Me, leave my child here for you so that you can strangle him before I come back?” “By the time he opened the cannula, before he put it on my son, he regained consciousness,” “They came and they paid 500 naira. Because of 500 naira, my son could have died.”
