THE COST OF GETTING SICK (1)

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THE SCAM CALLED "SETTLE ME"

You arrive feeling unwell and anxious. You pay the official fee, but then someone whispers that the procedure cannot start until you "settle." You try to brush it off and insist on your "rights," but you notice that others who came to meet you are being attended to while you are left waiting. This situation is not unusual in Nigeria's university teaching hospitals; it's simply part of the admission process.

When you walk into most University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Nigeria today, you quickly sense an underlying tension that most people don't talk about openly. While there are official fees for medical services, the reality is often different. Patients frequently find themselves approached by doctors, nurses, or orderlies who ask for "settlements" on the side. It feels like a shake-down, where you’re essentially being extorted for procedures you have already paid for. This unsettling practice turns what should be a straightforward experience into a frustrating struggle, adding to the anxiety of being unwell and in need of care.

This is not an anomaly. It is the system.

According to a 2025 peer-reviewed study published in the International Journal of Health Policy and Management, approximately 50% of respondents, drawn from nearly 1,700 households across two Nigerian states, experienced corrupt practices such as using connections for faster treatment and outright bribery when seeking health services in public healthcare facilities. Ijhpm One in every two patients. This is not just personal. It is statistically documented.

The demand is gendered too. Healthcare providers may perceive men as more capable of meeting "unapproved payment" demands while viewing women as having fewer financial resources, placing additional financial pressure on men and potentially obstructing them from seeking care for themselves and their families. PubMed Central. Some women who cannot afford bribes, particularly for maternal and child health services, resort to alternative care from informal or unlicensed providers, PubMed Central a deadly consequence for mothers and newborns.

Patients are not just losing money. They are losing lives.

Brace up, this is going to be a series expose.




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