The management of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi, has arrested an elderly man for allegedly defrauding patients and their relatives within the hospital premises.
The suspect, who is not a staff member of the teaching hospital, was reportedly uncovered by the hospital’s SERVICOM Unit during routine surveillance operations.
Hospital sources said the man had been extorting unsuspecting patients and their relatives under false pretences, posing as someone with official authority.
Confirming the incident, ATBUTH spokesperson, Abdullahi Usman Koli, said the suspect was apprehended during a night surveillance operation after allegedly collecting ₦45,000 from relatives of a patient being treated for a gunshot injury.
According to him, the suspect fraudulently demanded ₦5,000 for a hospital smart card and ₦40,000 for the purchase of drugs.
Koli explained that the approved cost of the hospital smart card is ₦1,000, while the prescribed drugs for the patient amounted to ₦18,150.
He added that a sum of ₦27,000 was recovered from the suspect, who has since been handed over to the police for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Commending the SERVICOM Unit for its vigilance, the Chief Medical Director of ATBUTH, Prof. Yusuf Jibrin Bara, reaffirmed the hospital’s zero-tolerance stance on extortion, impersonation and other sharp practices.
He urged patients and members of the public to remain alert and to promptly report suspicious persons or demands for unofficial payments to SERVICOM desks or appropriate hospital authorities.
The management also cautioned the public against fraudsters impersonating hospital officials to collect money under the guise of offering employment or facilitating appointments.
It stressed that no individual or staff member is authorised to collect money, gifts or any form of inducement in exchange for employment or appointments in the hospital.