As Nigerians mourn BBNaija star, Patrick Fakoya, popularly known as Rico Swavey, who died on October 13 after being involved in a ghastly motor accident on October 11, his family has demanded a refund of N1.6m balance from the N3.5m paid in total for his health care.
Until his death, Rico Swavey was a singer, lawyer and actor. Born in 1993, his demise came as a rude shock to Nigerians.
During a media briefing on Thursday, a cousin of the deceased, Mayo Dele, while calling the attention of the Lagos State Government and the Nigerian medical system to the truth surrounding late Rico Swavey’s death, gave some details about the payment made to a hospital.
He said, “The family made a deposit of N3.5m for late Swavey’s treatment, and upon his death, the hospital management disclosed that N1.9m was used and that the balance will be refunded.”
As reported by the News Agency of Nigeria, Dele said the briefing was to ensure necessary steps were taken by concerned parties to guide against the recurrence of a similar case where individuals that need urgent medical care would be denied due to financial problems, leading to untimely death.
He said human life should be prioritised regardless of what was at stake. He expressed disappointment as none of the officials from Doren or Evercare Hospitals honoured the invitation for the briefing.
Narrating the incident, he said, “The Lagos State Ministry of Health, Ministry of Justice and Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives were invited but never showed up. Evercare Hospital where the late Swavey was eventually treated billed the family the sum of N4.2m before treatment could commence.
“The family made a deposit of N3.5m for late Swavey’s treatment, and upon his death, the hospital management disclosed that N1.9m was used and that the balance will be refunded. The balance has not been remitted as promised.”
Dele added that the money generated from the public, meant to cater for Swavey’s medical bills, was still with Paystack, an online payment platform. According to him, Paystack notified the family of its plan to carry out some verification before the money is released.
He said when the family gains access to the money, it would be used to invest in immortalising the late Rico Swavey.
“We the family of late Rico Swavey appreciate everyone who has sympathised with us at this trying time. We are planning to establish a formidable foundation in honour of the late Swavey, it will be channelled toward solving a particular problem, and it will be something of value to keep Swavey’s name alive.
“We had over 400 people donate on that platform, we really appreciate everyone for the kind gesture,” he said.
