Family, lover abandon mother, child

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Family, lover abandon mother, child
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SHOLA O’NEIL 11/03/2011 00:00:00

A young lady Ms. Amayah who was rushed to St. Georges Hospital, Warri, Delta State on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 is now hale and hearty but she has not been allowed to leave the hospital because of her failure to pay her medical bill.

She was in labour when she was brought in. Drained of energy and only barely alive, she could not push out the child in her womb. So the team of medical doctors on duty at the hospital decided on Caesarian Section, a more expensive medical procedure.

A source at the clinic told our correspondent that she and the baby were even lucky to be in the condition they were on that day "because during the nine months of her conception, she did not get any ante-natal treatment and was underfed, malnourished and in need of medical aid."

Confirming the report, one of the doctors on duty on that fateful day told our correspondent that Ms Amayah was rushed in by a group of girls suspected to be friends.

"They said they brought her from school and promised that a deposit to cover the medical bills and other expenses would be paid as soon as her family members arrived."

Although it was not the practice to treat patients without such deposit, Dr. Great Maroh, a medical doctor on call when our correspondent visited the hospital, said the team took pity on her and commenced the procedure, which not only saved Amayah’s life, but also that of her baby, who was delivered safely barely one hour later.

However, seven weeks after that incident, neither the man who impregnated Amayah nor any member of her family had shown up at the hospital, a development that has led to a mounting medical and bed bills and refusal of the owners of the medical centre to release her from their ‘detention.’

Speaking with our correspondent on her fate, the 28-year-old Amayah, who should be happy at the birth of her first child, a cute little baby girl, yet unnamed, was a very sad woman. Apart from the shame of having a child without the father being present, she said she had been abandoned by her family which accused her of bringing shame to them.

On the Monday morning, when our correspondent met her, she looked frail, malnourished and impoverished as she narrated her heart-rending ordeal in the hospital ward, which had become her accommodation for nearly two months.

"I lost my father and mother a long time ago and the man responsible for my pregnancy (simply identified as Ola) has refused to show up since I was delivered of my baby. I thought meeting him would be the end of my misery, but it was just the beginning of my disappointment and heartache.

"Right now I am at the mercy of God because I don’t have anything doing and the hospital has kept me here until I am able to pay the bill. Its management has really tried for me and I cannot blame the doctors and director because they have saved my life and the life of my baby. Demanding to be paid is not too much for them to ask for. But my misfortunate is that I do not have a job and I have nowhere to go to even when they allow me to leave here," Amayah told our correspondent amid sobs.

She further disclosed how she sometimes go without food for days in spite of the fact that she is Bosom feeding the infant. "Initially, somebody bought milk which I was giving to the baby but since I exhausted it, I rely solely on Bosom  milk. Members of staff of the hospital have been very helpful too. Sometimes they give me something to eat or money to buy biscuit or groundnut, anything to give me some strength," she said.

Corroborating her story, Onos, one of the few friends who have stuck by the unfortunate mother, said she had done her best to assist but lamented that the huge medical bill was beyond her.

"The only thing I can do for her now is to bring her food once or twice a day when I can. Sometimes she would refuse to eat, but I keep encouraging her to be strong for the sake of her daughter."

Meanwhile, Amayah has appealed to public-spirited individuals to come to her aid to enable her offset the medical bill and to try and pick back the pieces of her shattered life.

"Now I don’t have any hope for the future because I do not have a job but I know I must find a way to take care of my baby. I am ready to do any work to earn something to take care of my child. That is why I say what I need most now is a job and a shelter over our head," she said.

How long she would remain on the hospital bed remains to be seen as she was yet to raise a single kobo out of the N200,000 bill when our correspondent met her.

Posted: at 11-03-2011 12:24 AM (14 years ago) | Upcoming

hmmm no comment

Posted: at 11-03-2011 11:49 PM (14 years ago) | Gistmaniac

Aww..this is such a sad story!! That man tha impregnated her will know no peace as he has abandoned an innocent child he helped to make. The hospital staff is waisting their time keeping her there on the grounds that she owes them money. It's very clear that she has no means to pay that amount of money with no job and financial assistance. It would be better that they just release her. Pray that God will have mercy on her and the innocent child.

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Posted: at 3-07-2011 04:51 PM (13 years ago) | Gistmaniac