The Lagos State Ministry of Health has concluded its investigation into the experience of a patient at Randle General Hospital, following a social media report made by Mrs Oshodi on August 31, 2026, concerning her daughter’s treatment at the facility.

The ministry, in a statement dated September 3, 2026, and signed by the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said the investigation established that the patient, Alimat Oshodi, is 21 years old and not 13 years old as indicated by her mother.

According to the ministry, the patient first presented at the hospital’s Mother and Child Centre on August 4, 2026, as an emergency case requiring immediate medical intervention.
The ministry said she received life-saving emergency care under the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetrics and Newborn Care (CEmONC) programme at no cost to her family.
It added that the patient was discharged on August 11, 2026, after receiving emergency care valued at N75,950 free of charge.

The statement said the patient subsequently returned to the hospital on August 27, 2026, for follow-up care and investigations.
It explained that, in response to ongoing financial constraints, the hospital’s social welfare unit provided N5,000 on August 28 and an additional N13,000 on August 31 towards the subsequent investigations.
The ministry said the two payments amounted to N18,000, while the patient herself contributed N10,000 towards the subsequent care. It added that the total value of government assistance provided to the patient to date stood at N93,950.
The ministry said the subsequent discussion concerning a Point of Sale (POS) transaction arose after the patient sought a refund of the N13,000 that had already been paid on her behalf by the hospital’s welfare fund.

According to the statement, the patient requested the refund because an NGO was reportedly not willing to cover the cost.
The ministry said the patient was informed that social welfare payments could not be refunded at the pay point in accordance with established protocol.
The statement also said the investigation established that Lagos State’s social health protection mechanisms were applied in the case to ensure that financial constraints did not prevent the patient from accessing necessary life-saving care.
The ministry identified the mechanisms as the Lagos State Social Health Insurance Programme, hospital-based social welfare support and the CEmONC programme.
It explained that the Lagos State Social Health Insurance Programme is provided free of charge to indigent patients on the equity fund, while the rest of the public can access the programme at subsidised rates.
The ministry said hospital-based social welfare support involves funds set aside by each general hospital to cater to patients who require emergency care but are unable to afford it at the time.

It further stated that the CEmONC programme provides emergency obstetric and newborn care for eligible vulnerable patients through the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
The ministry said it was constantly improving efficient payment processes across public hospitals through the rollout of the Smart Health Information Platform (SHIP), while also conducting regular audits of fee collection practices across public health facilities.

The ministry said, “This investigation has established the facts surrounding the incident and confirms that the state social health protection mechanisms work seamlessly and in this case provide timely support at no cost to the patient when she required emergency care to the tune of N93,950.”
It said the findings were contrary to the message implied in the social media post, which suggested that a Lagos State Government General Hospital was attempting to delay access to care and extort funds from a vulnerable patient.