The management of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) has accused an elderly man of defrauding a patient.
 
The hospital stated that its SERVICOM unit made the discovery during routine surveillance, revealing that the “impostor” had been defrauding patients and their relatives within the hospital premises.
 
Spokesperson for ATBUTH, Abdullahi Koli, explained that the suspect was apprehended during a night surveillance operation after he collected N45,000 from relatives of a gunshot patient.
 
He said the suspect falsely demanded N5,000 for a hospital smart card and N40,000 for the purchase of drugs, despite that the actual cost of the smart card being N1,000 and the drugs costing N18,150. 
 
“The balance of N27,000 was recovered, and the suspect has been handed over to the police for investigation and prosecution,” he said.
 
Chief Medical Director (CMD) of ATBUTH, Prof Yusuf Bara, commended the SERVICOM team while reiterating the management’s zero tolerance for extortion, impersonation and sharp practices. He urged patients and the general public to remain vigilant and report suspicious individuals or demands for unofficial payments to SERVICOM desks or relevant hospital authorities, assuring that management would continue to strengthen surveillance to protect patients and ensure transparency.
 
The management also alerted the public of fraudsters impersonating hospital officials and collecting money from individuals under the guise of offering employment or facilitating appointments.
 
Management emphasised that no staff member or individual was authorised to collect money, gifts or any form of inducement for employment or appointment into the hospital.