The Medical Director of Best Medical Centre Limited in Ketu-Ijanikin, Lagos State, Dr. Martins Udobi, has berated a construction firm, China Civil Engineering Construction Company, for not paying for the service he offered the firm.
The Doctor said the firm brought one of its staff who was almost disabled due to a severe accident to him for treatment but has refused to pay for the service.
Udobi put the cost of treatment at N2,890,500.00.
He appealed to human rights groups and the Lagos State Government to prevail on the firm to pay for his service of bringing the patient whose leg was almost amputated back to life.
He said: “On the 2, October 2017, a man called Ezechukwu brought a boy, Ifeanyi Joshua Ofobu.
“The boy was almost dead and he told me that three doctors have rejected him and he is now at the verge of amputation.
“They asked if I can fix the leg, I said yes, I could fix it but that it is a hard job.
“I didn’t know that they are from a company, so I told the mother that she cannot pay for my service and I urged them to take him to Igbobi or Lagos University Teaching Hospital but she said no.
“She insisted that if I can fix it, there was no point going to those hospitals and I told them I don’t agree unless they gave me their words in writing, which they did, and gave me N300,000.00 and promised they would bring additional money as the treatment proceeds.
“When we started, the first time we touched the boy, we extracted one bottle full of maggot.
“I called and told them that I didn’t know that the boy’s bone were broken and that we would require the services of an orthopaedic doctor and they said I should go ahead.
“I transfused the boy four pints of blood, which I bought from Ayinke House, and then I continued.
“The boy could not stand.
“I spent a lot on antibiotics along the line and I told his family that this thing was getting too much on me, that the N300,000 didn’t last even a week and that I needed additional money.
“He insisted that I should continue with the treatment as the Chinese are very good people.
“I kept on borrowing money to effect the treatment.
“They said they wanted the bill after seeing the boy.
“I bought clutches for the boy, so that he can move around.
“They asked to bring the final bill, which I gave them and they left, came and said the bill of N2,890,500.00 was too much.
“I reduced it to N2.5 million and I called Modupe, a CCECC staff.
“Since then, I have not heard anything from them.
“They took the bill and said they would bring a cheque for me.
“Up till now, I haven’t seen anything.
“I want justice and I want them to pay me for my services.
“I am too old for them to owe.
“I have staff and I need to pay salaries.
“I am calling on the state government to prevail on them to pay my money.”
A staff of CCECC, who simply identified himself as Obioma, said Udobi was not paid by the company for several reasons.
Obioma said: “He almost killed the patient.
“If not for our quick intervention of taking the young man to another hospital, it would have turned to something else.
“The new hospital we took him to is doing a good job.
“We told the doctor the amount he was calling was too much, as he did not do a good job.
“As we speak now, the young man can stand.”