Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Henry Owen | Stone Reporters News
A Port Harcourt hospital is under intense public scrutiny after it reportedly detained a baby and his maternal grandmother for over a year due to unpaid medical bills.
According to reports, Mrs. Chiamaka, a 36-year-old resident of Port Harcourt, was receiving antenatal care at Meridian Hospital, Ikwere Road, when she went into premature labor at seven months. She was transferred to Meridian Hospital, D-Line, the headquarters of the hospital group, where she delivered a preterm baby but tragically bled to death shortly after delivery.
The baby was immediately placed in an incubator and remained under intensive care for four months. While the infant survived, the hospital issued a bill of ₦6 million, which the grieving family could not fully pay. They were able to settle ₦1.4 million, leaving an outstanding balance of ₦4.6 million.
Despite repeated pleas from the baby’s father for a structured payment plan, the hospital has refused to release the child and the baby’s maternal grandmother, who served as the primary caregiver during hospitalization.
Human rights advocates have condemned the hospital’s actions as inhumane and unlawful, pointing out that detaining patients over unpaid bills violates fundamental human rights. Observers warn that the prolonged detention is taking a severe physical and emotional toll on both the child, who has never experienced life outside the hospital, and the elderly caregiver.
The case has sparked widespread outrage on social media, with calls for immediate intervention by health authorities and human rights organizations to secure the release of the baby and grandmother.
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