In the video, Kemi's husband was desperately trying to keep her conscious inside a car while she was clearly weak. He begged, "My goodness!," calling her name repeatedly. Look at me, Kemi. Stay strong; look at me. Think about your kids, please. You must exert pressure on me. Folajimi later claimed in a post that they were referred to an Epe general hospital, where his wife passed away in the middle of treatment, after the private hospital refused to treat them.
He wrote, "I begged him to start doing whatever was necessary to save my wife while I ran around for the money. The doctor told me to deposit N500,000." However, they drove us out as though they were uninterested. “Unfortunately, they blindly rejected us and asked me to take her to the General Hospital at Epe, even though the doctor knew that Epe from Lakwe is way too far for her condition.
She was gone before we could rush her to Epe. The heartbreaking video led to widespread criticism of the hospital, with supporters pleading for changes that would make medical facilities accountable for such alleged neglect. However, the hospital's founder, Rauf Salami, denied the husband's claim in a Thursday exclusive telephone interview with PUNCH Metro. He stated that contrary to the claims made online, there was never a discussion about money during the brief time the family spent at the hospital. Salami explained, “On the day in question, a pregnant woman was brought to our center. She had two convulsions at home prior to her arrival, according to the employee colleague. She clearly required an immediate blood transfusion and surgical intervention after examination.
“We advised the husband to take her to the Epe General Hospital, which is better equipped to handle such emergencies, given the complexity of the case. We did not at any time demand any payment, as we prioritize the patient’s urgent need for specialized care.” In addition, he clarified that Kemi had not previously visited the hospital or been a registered patient there. “We referred her to a facility that was more suitable right away after she was brought in, without even moving her from the wheelchair that was used to bring her in. Sadly, on Monday of the following week, the woman's husband posted a false post on TikTok claiming that our facility had rejected his wife.
Speaking on the backlash, Salami admitted feeling deeply frustrated, saying, “Going by the reactions to what happened, it may frustrate one to the point of contemplating suicide because it was deeply frustrating. But that notwithstanding, people have been telling me to sue him. I could do that because I have my evidence.” He reiterated that the woman was in critical condition upon arrival and that the hospital lacked the necessary resources to handle her case hence the referral. not handle. She could have died that day if we had only given her one drip because her body was devoid of blood.
In addition, in this field of medicine, you cannot simply demand blood at the counter. As a result, we advised him to transport her to a facility where she could receive the appropriate care. They didn’t spend more than three to four minutes before they left,” he added. Considering her medical state, Salami speculated that Kemi might not have been receiving antenatal care at any hospital before the day she was brought to the hospital.
"I don't think the woman was registered in any hospital because if she had been receiving treatment during her antenatal "The woman was not registered in the hospital," he stated. We didn’t know her. When they brought her in, we discovered it was something we could not handle. If we had given her just one drip that day, she could have died because there was no blood left in her body.
In addition, in this field of medicine, you cannot simply demand blood at the counter. As a result, we advised him to transport her to a facility where she could receive the appropriate care. They didn’t spend more than three to four minutes before they left,” he added. Salami speculated that Kemi may not have been receiving antenatal care prior to her admission to the hospital because of her medical condition.
He stated, "I don't think the woman was registered in any hospital because she wouldn't have been in that condition if she had been receiving treatment during her antenatal period." Because we couldn't handle it, we told them to go to the general hospital. He said, "I am a Muslim, and whatever comes a Muslim's way, the best thing to say is ‘Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un' (Indeed, to Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return)," concluding that he had left everything in God's hands. In spite of the controversy, Salami added that he is hopeful that the community members who have patronized his hospital will assist in restoring his integrity.
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