The SERVICOM Unit of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, ATBUTH Bauchi, has arrested a suspected impostor for allegedly defrauding patients and their relatives within the hospital premises.
The suspect was apprehended during a routine night surveillance after collecting forty-five thousand naira from relatives of a gunshot injury patient. He reportedly demanded five thousand naira for a hospital smart card and forty thousand naira for drugs.
Investigations later revealed that the official cost of the smart card is one thousand naira, while the drugs purchased amounted to eighteen thousand, one hundred and fifty naira.
This was contained in a press statement issued by the Head of Public Relation of the Hospital, Mallam Usman Abdullahi Koli and made available to newsmen in Bauchi.
The statement added that “the total of twenty-seven thousand naira was recovered from the suspect, who has since been handed over to the police for further investigation and prosecution”.
Reacting to the development, the Chief Medical Director of ATBUTH, Professor Yusuf Jibrin Bara, commended the SERVICOM team for their vigilance and issued a strong warning to fraudsters and impostors.
He reaffirmed the hospital management’s zero-tolerance policy toward extortion, impersonation, and other sharp practices.
Professor Jibrin Bara also urged patients and members of the public to remain alert and promptly report any suspicious activities or demands for unofficial payments to SERVICOM desks or appropriate hospital authorities.
He assured that management will continue to strengthen surveillance across the hospital to protect patients and promote transparency.
In a related development, the management of ATBUTH has raised the alarm over reports of individuals impersonating hospital officials to collect money under the pretense of offering employment or facilitating appointments.
The hospital management stressed that no individual is authorized to collect money, gifts, or any form of inducement for employment or appointment into the hospital.
The statements also advise members of the public who may have paid money or offered inducements to anyone are called on them to immediately report to the Public Relations and Protocol Unit of the hospital with relevant details.
ATBUTH says it remains committed to accountability, transparency, and the protection of the public from fraud and exploitation.