There was a video that broke hearts online last week.
A pregnant woman, carrying twins, was spotted walking on the road. A kind stranger stopped her because she looked too tired to keep going, and offered to pay her transport fare so she wouldn’t have to walk.
The woman broke down crying. In her words “Please, the money you want to use for transport, just give it to me. I need ₦28,000 so the hospital can admit me.”
She had been turned away because she didn’t have the money. Apparently, this woman had been in labour for days but because she couldn’t afford the hospital bills, she delayed going to the hospital.
By the time she finally got admitted after being rejected at three hospitals, it was too late. Both babies were gone.
Why should any mother lose her children because she couldn’t pay a hospital bill? Why should ₦28,000 be the line between life and death?
Urban Woman Magazine spoke to women and health workers about this tragic reality:
Shalom
If we had maternal health insurance, this woman would have been covered. ₦28,000 would not be the reason two babies died. She would have gone into the hospital the moment labour started, and her twins would be here today.
Debby
We’re not asking for the impossible. Even ₦1,000 or ₦1,500 monthly, subsidized by government or partners, could cover women like her. But because we don’t have that, women are still dying, babies are still being buried, families are still being broken.”
Chinelo
She didn’t lose her twins because she didn’t take care of herself. She lost them because the system failed her. No woman should have to pay before being attended to by the nurses or doctors. We need to show more compassion, life first before money.
Alexandra
As a doctor, I’ve watched women lose babies and their own lives because they couldn’t pay. Sometimes I dip into my own pocket just to make sure a patient is admitted. But one doctor can’t solve this. We need policy, we need insurance, we need action.
Sandra
The sad reality is that some of these politicians have their wives flying abroad to give birth, while the average Nigerian woman is hustling to raise ₦28,000 just so she won’t die in labour.
Vevume
If the system can fail her, it can fail anyone. We need to stop normalizing suffering and start demanding maternal health insurance as a right.
Olekanma Favour is a resourceful, self-motivated, and result-driven writer with a passion for crafting compelling narratives and insightful content. She loves tackling complex topics and weaving engaging stories.
When she’s not writing, Olekanma enjoys immersing herself in a good book, exploring new cuisines, and discovering new cultures.