A tragic incident at the Turai Umaru Musa Yar’adua Maternity and Children Hospital in Katsina has sparked widespread public outrage after a pregnant woman, Aisha Najamu, reportedly died because hospital staff allegedly refused to accept a bank transfer for the payment of oxygen. The incident, which occurred late at night, has renewed public scrutiny over the state of emergency care, staffing conditions and rigid administrative policies in Katsina’s healthcare facilities.
According to multiple eyewitness accounts, Aisha arrived at the hospital in critical condition and required immediate oxygen support. Witnesses said the medical team made it clear that oxygen could not be administered without payment, prompting relatives and concerned bystanders to rush to the cashier to settle the required fees. However, the cashier on duty allegedly rejected every attempt to make payment electronically, insisting that only cash was acceptable.
A witness who spoke to Katsina Times said he pleaded desperately with the cashier to accept a bank transfer so that the woman could receive urgent care. He said the cashier claimed strictly to be following hospital policy that prohibits staff from receiving transfers into their personal bank accounts under the state government’s Treasury Single Account (TSA) guidelines. The witness said he even offered to pay an additional amount to compensate for any inconvenience and, when that failed, presented a 100 dollar note, but the staff member refused, saying she had no authority to process foreign currency or any payment not made in cash.
“It was deeply distressing,” the witness recalled. “She cried and begged for help. We pleaded with the cashier but she kept repeating that transfers were not allowed. The woman kept struggling to breathe until she died around 11.30 p.m.” His account has since circulated widely on social media, fueling anger and grief among residents.
When contacted for an official response, the management of Turai Umaru Musa Yar’adua Hospital said they had not received a formal complaint directly from the family or public, except one filed through a human-rights group, IHRAAC. Cashier Aminu Ibrahim Kofar Bai, speaking on behalf of the management, expressed sympathy to the family and promised a full investigation. He insisted that any staff member found negligent in the matter would be appropriately sanctioned.
Hospital officials defended the institution’s payment policy, saying that Katsina State Government regulations under the Treasury Single Account restrict them from accepting transfers into private accounts. They also noted that the hospital currently has no functioning POS machines, making cash the only approved method of payment. This policy, they said, was designed to prevent fraud, reduce financial leakages and strengthen accountability but acknowledged that it occasionally creates challenges during emergencies.
The management further lamented the shortage of medical oxygen in the state, noting that the hospital often purchases supplies from Daura due to irregular availability. They added that the delays and hesitation sometimes witnessed among staff stem from fear of being accused of mishandling funds or violating policy.
Head of Pharmacy, Perm Usman Salisu Wada, confirmed that while oxygen supplies remain limited, the staff member involved in the incident “may have over-adhered” to the rules out of caution. He explained that in emergency cases, the hospital sometimes renders services to distressed patients even before payment is confirmed, but in many instances, families later fail to settle the bills, placing the burden on the facility. This, he said, has contributed to staff members becoming overly strict in enforcing payment guidelines.
The tragedy has also revived past complaints about negligence and poor emergency response within the hospital system. In a separate report, a resident, Rabi’u Yakubu, accused nurses at the same hospital of delaying medical care to his wife, Khadijah Rabi’u, during a scheduled blood transfusion. Yakubu said she was expected to receive three pints of blood, but nurses allegedly left the second bag hanging for hours without administering it, leading to its eventual spoilage.
Anonymous staff members and insiders told reporters that such incidents have become increasingly common due to severe understaffing and inadequate welfare for health workers. One source claimed that “almost two-thirds of the personnel are casual workers earning only ten thousand naira,” a situation that has weakened morale and created gaps in patient care. According to them, the hospital struggles to retain skilled workers because temporary staff are poorly paid and lack job security, resulting in high turnover and inexperienced replacements.
Civil society groups and human-rights advocates have condemned the incident as evidence of systemic failure. They argue that no woman in need of emergency oxygen should die because of payment delays, especially when alternatives such as bank transfers were offered. Many are calling for the Katsina State Government to overhaul its payment policies, provide POS terminals in all government hospitals, and prioritise emergency care above administrative technicalities.
The death of Aisha Najamu now stands as a painful symbol of the challenges confronting healthcare delivery in Katsina. The incident has triggered demands for improved emergency protocols, better staffing, adequate oxygen supply and urgent reforms to ensure that rigid bureaucracy does not claim more lives.
As public anger grows, the Katsina State Government is expected to issue a formal statement addressing the incident. For now, grieving residents continue to question how a young pregnant woman—already in distress—was denied life-saving oxygen in a government-owned facility, all because a cashier insisted she could only accept cash.
The tragedy has left a deep mark on the community, highlighting the urgent need for humane, responsive and patient-centered healthcare policies across the state.
