LUTH denies involvement in fund-raising for cancer patient

ayodele johnson

July 30, 2016 2:50 PM

Accusations have been flying around, alleging that the funds raised was fraudulent, a scam to rip innocent people of their money.

Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba.

The management of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), has dissociated itself from fund-raising activities for one of the hospital patients, Ahmed Mayowa.

Nollywood actress, Toyin Aimahku, in an emotional video that went viral, called on Nigerian to sponsor Mayowa, who was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer, for a medical operation abroad.

Reports of an alleged scam soon followed this move as donations were made into the account number dedicated for the fund raising.

As a result, LUTH, through its spokesperson, Public Relations Officer, Mr Kenneth Otuneme, said the hospital had no involvement in the activity.

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This was revealed in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in response to the controversy.

Otuneme said, "Miss Mayowa Ahmed, 31, is an old patient of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital who has been on treatment for another condition. "Ahmed came into the Private Wing of LUTH on Monday, July 25, with a history and clinical features of an intra-abdominal mass.

"The patient accompanied by some of her family members brought along some results of laboratory investigations ordered and done outside LUTH.

"Three different specialists: a gynaecologist, an oncologist and a haematologist- were invited to review Ahmed's case.

"They all arrived at a tentative diagnosis of an abdominal malignancy.

"They planned to conduct a series of fresh tests on her to confirm the definitive diagnosis since the earlier tests were neither requested nor authorised by any doctor from LUTH,’’

"The family, however, requested to fly Ahmed outside the country barely 24 hours after her admission in LUTH, thus stalling all the planned investigations meant to arrive at a definitive diagnosis.

"We were able to transfuse her with much-needed blood only after lots of persuasions when the family was told point blank that it was risky for her to travel by air, given her low blood count,"

"LUTH has only dealt with Miss Ahmed and her relations throughout her stay and not with any other third party."

Aimahku had also in an Instagram post published on Friday, July 29, 2016, revealed that she had nothing to do with the alleged scam.

According to her, she just wanted to get help for the cancer patient.

ayodele johnson