Q: I have a friend in Nigeria who is sick there. He is having stomach problems. It is serious. It's due from a lack of eating. He hardly has any money at all. he had been working some for a Church there but wasn't getting too much for working. He had something go wrong with his stomach...I forgot what it is called. It is really serious though. He needs surgery right away or he said he may die. He has almost all the money for surgery but 100 dollars. Surgery can not be done he says UNLESS he has the rest of the money!! He is in the hospital now waiting to see if I can get 100 dollars for him. Is thisd true that in NIGERIA OR FOREIGN COUNTRIES that you have to pay UPFRONT for surgery BEFORE THEY DO ANYTHING? I NEED ANSWERS FROM SOMEONE WHO KNOWS ABOUT MEDICAL CARE IN NIGERIA PLEASE! This has really been bothering me!!
A: Well, this is Nigeria, anything is possible. There's no way of knowing for sure, especially without knowing the name of the hospital or its location. I could easily see a doctor or hospital here demanding payment up front. But there's a much stronger possibility that this, like so much that comes out of Nigeria into the e-mail boxes of the world, is a scam. How well do you really know this "friend"? Have you ever met him, or is this a "friendship" only via e-mail? Why not do this -- if you want to help your friend, offer to pay the hospital the $100 directly. Ask him to give you the name and location of the hospital, and try and contact them directly. I would bet you $100 that he will either not give you the contact info, or it will be very suspicious info (i.e. a cell phone number for the "hospital," which of course will be one belonging to him or a friend). If it is legit, which I'm almost sure it's not, you can help him best by corresponding directly with the doctors. Hope this helps.