Nigerians are known for the heart of gold and milk of kindness, as they always show love to one another despite the differences in ethnic, religious, and political affiliations.
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In October 2020, the citizens came to the rescue of a nursing mother, Blessing Bassey, and her baby, who for seven months had been sleeping on the floor of one of the wards of Mojol Hospital, Church Street, in the Shasha area of Lagos State.

Blessing, 27-year-old at the time, delivered her baby, a girl, at the hospital through a caesarean section, an expensive procedure that managed to pay part of the hospital bill. The hospital management, however, ordered nurses and doctors to ensure that she did not leave with her baby until the balance of their bill, N95,000 was paid. The Cross River State native, who lamented her fate, said efforts by her husband to raise the money were abortive.

In late November 2022, two days after giving birth to twins in a General Hospital, Akpesiri Ojiko was ready to take her babies home, but when she inquired where to see her babies she discovered that her children had been separated as her daughter needed specialised medical care and was referred without her consent to Unique Health Medical Centre, a private clinic in the city as the government owned hospital didn’t have enough beds.

Desperate to see her baby girl, Ojiko headed to the private clinic, only to be handed a bill for N433,500. Her husband abandoned her when he saw the bill, and they ultimately separated.

With a meagre income of N25,000 naira per month selling Usi – an edible starch that is a local delicacy – Ojiko could not afford to pay. Her newborn baby girl would spend the first seven weeks of her life detained in a private clinic because of the unpaid bill.
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For many pregnant women, access to pre-natal and post-natal care is the difference between life and death for them and their children. Women and newborns require support and careful monitoring after birth. Most maternal and infant deaths occur in the first six weeks after delivery, yet this remains the most neglected phase in the provision of quality maternal and newborn care.

As with antenatal care, promoting a healthy lifestyle with good nutrition, detecting and preventing diseases, supporting women who may be experiencing intimate partner violence, and ensuring access to sexual and reproductive health, including postpartum family planning are key to quality post-natal care.

The government, in a way of subsidy, provides many of these vital health interventions such as vaccinations, screenings for gestational diabetes and anaemia, and early identification and management of pregnancy-related complications. Even with the subsidies, many of these services are too expensive for the poorest of families, and as a result many women die from avoidable pregnancy complications. As a result, Nigeria accounts for almost 10 per cent of the world’s maternal deaths.

There are several reasons for these worrying rates. According to the 2008 National Demographic Health Survey, only 35 per cent of Nigerian women can afford to have their babies in a hospital. One in three women can easily access a public hospital, while 41 per cent of the families surveyed could not access drugs.

These are all issues that affect women who cannot access healthcare. Hence, Harvesters Africa Empowerment Foundation (HAEF), a non-profit under the Harvesters International Christian Centre, is working to ensure that mothers who manage to get to a hospital to deliver their babies do not face harassment or a violation of their rights due to inability to pay their bills.

According to Prof Tanimola Akande, a professor of Public Health at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State ‘Patient detention’ or ‘maternity detention’ is a situation where hospitals or healthcare facilities detain mothers and their newborns to coerce them into settling outstanding medical bills.
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He said, “It is a controversial practice and highlights how much the government fails poorer families when it does not extend health insurance to them or punish hospitals for violating basic human rights. Although there is no official data, patient detention is an unfortunate practice that is on the rise in both public and private hospitals as Nigeria contends with rising poverty, a rapidly growing population, and a long-neglected health care system.”

“Situations persist where mothers, unable to settle bills, face detention or threats to sleep in corridors. These instances highlight systemic issues affecting new mothers in Nigerian hospitals, where financial constraints lead to prolonged detainment, impacting maternal and newborn health,” Akande added.

A recent visit by HAEF to the Lagos Island Maternity Hospital in Lagos State contextualised how traumatic this experience is for new mothers. On arrival met with several mothers who had been detained within the hospital premises for extended periods, ranging from 8 days to a month.

On inquiry why the mothers and children were detained varied, the most common theme was that the women didn’t have the support of family to cushion their debts. Their inability to secure timely discharge or access requisite post-natal care prompted immediate action from the foundation.
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Acknowledging the urgency and gravity, HAEF made a substantial financial contribution towards reconciling debts to expedite the release of the new mothers from their involuntary hospital stays. This support aimed to ensure their access to essential post-natal care services.

The intervention not only addressed their immediate needs but also drew attention to potential systemic issues contributing to prolonged stays for postpartum women in healthcare settings.

With more mothers and children still held in hospitals across the country; in this festive season, HAEF’s priority – which has informed its public campaign to raise funds, is to rescue new mothers from the hospital, reconnect them with their families and provide effective care that significantly reduces risks for both mother and baby.

According to the foundation, strengthening community-based postpartum care services can help provide necessary follow-up care for women after discharge, ensuring they receive proper support and medical attention at home.
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