Delta: Parent, hospital boss knock horns over unpaid N3m bill

By Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

A 31 years old man, Luke Megbune has accused the management of Capitol Hill Clinic in Warri, Delta State of allegedly detaining his wife, Mrs Blessing Megbune and the new born twin babies over his inability to pay N3million medical bill incurred.

Megbune who spoke to journalists in Asaba on Sunday, said his wife and babies have been in the hospital for three months running after delivery, adding that his inability to pay N3million medical bills had jostled him into confusion, saying that the hospital allegedly threatened to take the children to orphanage home.

Megbune who hails from Ubulu Uku Kingdom said, “I can’t watch them take my children to the orphanage home when I am still alive, those children have great destinies.”

Megbune said he tried to all means possible to raise the said amount to no avail, adding that his wife, blessing Megbune delivered the babies on April 5, 2019 after carrying the pregnancy for six months at the General Hospital, Agbarho , Ughelli North Local Government Area of the state.

“They were later referred to Central Hospital Warri and because of lack of equipment, on arrival at the Central Hospital Warri, they said they don’t have enough equipment and referred them to the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara, and we were told that going to Oghara will be delayed because the babies might die, and a good Samaritan came to us and said he knows where to take us to and that is how we found ourselves in the Capitol Hill Clinic”, he said He said that the hospital’s management commenced treatment and that the doctors were up and doing to ensure the babies were well, adding that few weeks later he was given a bill of N3million, a situation he described as pathetic and sorrowful for the fact he had no money to pay.

But in a swift reaction, the Managing Director of the Clinic, Dr Matthew Ogbu denied all the allegations of wickedness, saying that there was no time Megbune’s wife and children were detained, threatened to be taken to orphanage home, adding that Megbune’s wife comes from home to breast feed her babies who are still being taken care of at the hospital’s intensive care unit.

“Megbune is a craft man and a man who is not honest, we told him it will cost him money and he promised to pay, only for his church to have paid N600,000 out of the money but he keeps telling people different stories of someone that is more wick. Megbune knows what to do and take his family home after we had treated the babies,” the Managing Director of the hospital said.