A popular Nigerian YouTuber, Tobi Odukoya has expressed frustration over a result interpretation fee request from Iwosan Lagoon Hospital in Ikeja.
Per her post, she initially visited the hospital to consult a gynecologist and incurred several charges. These include ₦23,766 for registration, ₦119,000 for consultation, and approximately ₦340,000 for medical tests.
She claimed that after waiting nearly a month for her test results, she was asked to pay an additional ₦64,000 before the gynecologist could interpret the results.
Odukoya described the experience as frustrating and disappointing, noting that she was unaware of the additional charge beforehand. She added that she declined to pay the fee and instead requested the results be sent to her email.
“I almost lost it with them! They said it’s the policy. And frankly I don’t have 64k to pay for test interpretation. I told them to send the results to my mail. I’m so heartbroken and disappointed.” She wrote
The post quickly gained traction online, with many social media users expressing concern over what they perceived as exploitative billing practices in private healthcare facilities especially in Lagos.
“That’s almost like extortion, Haba Kilode . Not even 20k ooo a whole 64k that’s wild . Sorry dear , they should have told you everything from the beginning” one MissGijae commented.
“Shouldn’t consultation fee cover that? This doesn’t seem fair to me. That’s a whole lot of money” Another commenter added.
However, some medical professionals offered a different perspective. They claimed the woman’s allegation is a misdirected anger, arguing that such charges are not uncommon in private healthcare settings.
One Doctor @Ourfaveonlinedoc, highlighted that it’s clearly a fair charge to see a specialist in a private clinic settings. He said this is due to the time and energy required for studying to become a gynaecologist.
He also analyzed the difference in a trending comparison made about how cheaper medical fee is at Marie stopes medical center.
“Marie Stopes in Nigeria is a non-profit NGO that is heavily funded by donor grants and international organisations who subsidise the actual costs to make it cheap for you the end user. It is a bad argument to compare Marie Stopes (funded by NGO money) to a private clinic gynaecologist that relies solely on being run by patient’s fees.” he wrote.
Similarly, Dr. Afo opined that Nigerians spend freely on frivolities but find it difficult to spend on their health.
Amid the ongoing debate, Odukoya later updated her followers, stating that the hospital had reached out to her and provided an explanation of her test results.
The incident has since fueled broader conversations about transparency, affordability, and patient experience within Nigeria’s healthcare system.
By Musekir Faisat Omolara
