A Nigerian woman has been accused of using another woman's identity to get NHS benefits while giving birth and has refused to pay for her medical bills. According to DailyMail.....
Oluwaseun Adenubi, 30, used the passport of Rita Ogunkunle, to obtain free medical care during the delivery of her son Moses.
She then allowed Ogunkunle, 32, and partner Michael Adebambo, 46, to register as Moses’s parents to get him free NHS care and a UK passport, a court heard in January.
Judge John Tanzer described the case as ‘a Nigerian plot to use the “International Health Service” and then take further advantage’.
Adenubi came to London when pregnant in 2014 on a family visit visa, which allowed her to stay for up to six months.
But the Mail can reveal that despite overstaying her visa and being handed an eight-month suspended prison sentence for fraud, Adenubi is still in the UK. She has not repaid a penny of the £3,500 it cost to deliver her baby, and she continues to receive free NHS care for herself and her son, now one.
The mother of one lives in a two-bedroom semi-detached house – paid for by the taxpayer – in an east London suburb, receiving around £9,000 a year in state handouts.
Suspicions were raised in spring last year when Adenubi registered at Farnborough’s Princess Royal University Hospital.
Staff noticed that the new patient, with documents naming her as Rita Ogunkunle, did not tally with NHS records for the woman of that name. They also realised her blood type did not match what they had on record, so asked her to be re-tested.
But the real Ogunkunle allegedly went in Adenubi’s place, so the new blood test matched the original record. When Adenubi gave birth, she needed a Caesarean section, which involved a blood transfusion. Luckily, her blood type was tested before the procedure and she was given the correct type – but this led to more confusion. fter Moses was born on June 20 last year, staff questioned her about the mix-up and Adenubi confessed that she had lied.
Last night, she told the Mail she ‘can see why people are annoyed’, adding: ‘I know what I have done is wrong … I plan to pay it back. Obviously I’m trying to sort everything with my papers and when I do get a job, I’ll only be able to pay it back in bits, but I will.’
The asylum seeker, who has no family in the UK, is not allowed to work here until her refuge is granted. When she arrived in Britain, Adenubi ‘went from hospital to hospital’ trying to get treatment, she said, but was rejected by staff who told her she was not eligible. She said she ‘had to’ give birth in a hospital so decided to use someone else’s identity.
The Nigerian said she fled her home country because her son’s father abused her.
Nigeria offers free maternity care but the quality is very poor and there is a high mortality rate. Now, Adenubi is entitled to free prescriptions, free dental care, free eyesight tests and help paying for glasses – on top of being able to see a GP or get hospital treatment whenever she requires.
When Ogunkunle was arrested in August last year, she claimed Adenubi took the passport after moving into her spare room. But Adenubi denied that she ever knew Ogunkunle or her partner, saying she ‘found their papers on a park bench’. For more scintillating and juicy stories, follow the official Naijapals accounts On Twitter - @Naijapals and Facebook - www.facebook.com/naijapals
I have been reporting on latest news from Nigeria for almost 10 years now. I report on every possible news area I come across, but always ensure my reports are compiled with dignity and fact to uphold my personal values and duty as a journalist
Posted: at 11-08-2015 06:32 AM (9 years ago) | Addicted Hero
She is not refusing to pay. But as she is not entitled to any funds (she is not allowed to work as she is illegally in the UK) - she cannot pay. She has promised to pay as soon as she is allowed to work.
In Nigeria, maternity care is FREE but everyone wants foriegn citizenship. I am not convinced that her reason for going to the UK is because her childs father (she did not use the word "husband") maltreated her.
Other immigrants from around the world including eastern Euiropeans are ALSO using the NHS to access free medical care!
I hope this lady does the right thing and pays her dues - however long it takes. After all, in Nigeria our hospitals HOLD HOSTAGE patients who come for medical attention ( not maternity related) and cannot pay their bill.
Posted: at 11-08-2015 07:21 AM (9 years ago) | Gistmaniac