Viral outrage: Eight months after THISDAY exposé, Lagos hospitals’ payment problems persist

Eight months after a THISDAY investigation exposed the risks of Lagos’ single-provider payment system, patients are still struggling at hospital payment points, where access to treatment can depend on a successful transaction.

The newspaper’s earlier investigation described delayed or denied treatment, missed appointments, exploitation and avoidable deaths under an arrangement covering the state’s 36 public hospitals. Payments are handled by one provider, with transactions routed mainly through one bank and sometimes two. When the provider suffers downtime, patients have no alternative vendor.

A viral video by Kafayat Oshodi has renewed public anger. Oshodi said she became stuck at Randle General Hospital during an emergency after staff insisted on cash and rejected the electronic payment method she had prepared to use. “Despite rushing to the hospital with four different debit cards, they rejected POS transfers and insisted on a cash deposit, even after I had queued for an hour,” she said. “When I asked to make a transfer from my phone, they claimed the network was bad and directed me to a POS operator who charged me far higher fees than usual.”

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Despite rushing to the hospital with four different debit cards, they rejected POS transfers and insisted on a cash deposit, even after I had queued for an hour.

The government responded to Oshodi’s account, but THISDAY described the response as evasive because it did not address the central issue, the demand for cash despite the government’s repeated promotion of electronic and cashless transactions.

The newspaper said cash often becomes the last resort when the sole provider goes offline, a vulnerability worsened by Nigeria’s connectivity problems. Experts cited in the report argue that state administrators should adopt a multi-provider system, allowing payment networks to switch when one fails and giving patients greater choice.

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When I asked to make a transfer from my phone, they claimed the network was bad and directed me to a POS operator who charged me far higher fees than usual.