A woman from Gombe State, identified as Barira Alhassan, has accused doctors at the Gombe State Specialist Hospital of removing one of her kidneys during a Caesarean section (C-section), an allegation the hospital has strongly denied.
Barira claimed she entered the hospital with both kidneys intact but was later informed that she was living with only one kidney after the surgery.
According to her, the symptoms became so concerning that she started asking other women who had undergone C-sections whether such complications were normal, noting that it was her first surgical delivery despite having given birth to ten children.
Barira said the shocking discovery came after a doctor examined her and informed her that she had only one kidney.
“I was devastated when the doctor told me I had only one kidney. He even asked if I had sold it. When I told him I hadn’t, he reassured me that people can still live normal lives with one kidney and prescribed medication for me,” she said.
Her family insists that medical scans carried out in 2015 confirmed she had two healthy kidneys before the operation.
Her brother, Zakariyya Alhassan, said their father visited the hospital seeking an explanation but was unable to get satisfactory answers from the medical team.
He also claimed the family requested Barira’s medical records from the hospital but was informed that no records relating to her treatment could be found, despite the fact that she had been receiving care there and delivered her baby at the facility.
According to him, the missing records further raised the family’s suspicions.
After several unsuccessful attempts to obtain answers from the hospital, the family submitted a petition to the Gombe State Ministry of Health, calling for an independent investigation into the incident.
Zakariyya disclosed that ministry officials later invited the patient, her husband, and hospital representatives for a meeting and advised all parties not to make public statements until investigations were concluded.
However, the family maintains that it is dissatisfied with the handling of the matter and continues to demand a transparent investigation.
Barira said her only desire is to know what truly happened and to receive justice.
“I want a proper investigation to determine how I lost my kidney and for justice to be served,” she said.
Responding to the claims, the management of Gombe State Specialist Hospital described the allegations as false, misleading, and unsupported by medical evidence.
In an official statement, the hospital explained that theatre records showed Barira only underwent an emergency Caesarean section and that no surgical procedure involving her kidneys was carried out.
The hospital further revealed that following concerns raised by the patient’s family, it sponsored a CT Intravenous Urogram (CT-IVU) at a Federal Teaching Hospital to establish the facts.
According to the hospital, the scan indicated findings consistent with a congenital absence of one kidney, suggesting that the condition existed from birth rather than being caused by surgery.
Management emphasized that it covered the cost of the examination in an effort to ensure transparency and determine the truth.
The statement added that hospital officials and clinicians met with the family on two separate occasions to explain the scan results and review all available medical records.
It also disclosed that the family later requested another independent medical examination, a request the hospital approved.
According to the hospital, it is currently awaiting the outcome of that independent investigation.
The hospital concluded by alleging that the ongoing social media campaign surrounding the case appears aimed at damaging its reputation and undermining public confidence in healthcare professionals.
Management maintained that no kidney was removed during Barira Alhassan’s Caesarean section.