A rights and environmental advocacy group, the Youths and Environmental Advocacy CenCenterEAC-Nigeria), has called for urgent government and public intervention over the alleged detention of a grandmother and her one-year-old grandchild at Meridian Hospital, D-Line, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, due to unpaid medical bills.
The group’s Executive Director, Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface made the call following a public appeal by Dr. (Mrs.) Tari Bozimo, who described the situation as “a tragic and ongoing humanitarian crisis” that demands urgent attention.
According to the appeal, the incident began when a 36-year-old woman, Mrs. Chiamaka, a registered patient of Meridian Hospital on Ikwerre Road, went into premature labour at seven months. She was later transferred to the hospital’s D-Line headquarters, where she gave birth to a preterm baby but sadly died from post-delivery complications.
The premature baby, who was kept in an incubator for four months, reportedly survived. Upon discharge, the hospital allegedly issued a bill of ₦6 million, of which the family could only pay ₦1.4 million, leaving a balance of ₦4.6 million.
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YEAC-Nigeria and the family claim that for over a year and one month, the hospital has refused to release both the baby and the grandmother, who had been the baby’s caregiver during the hospital stay, over the unpaid balance.
All pleas for a structured, instalment-based payment plan have been rejected, the appeal stated, alleging that both the baby and the elderly woman are being kept in inhumane and deplorable conditions a situation described as a gross violation of their human rights.
Dr. Bozimo urged the media, civil society groups, and relevant government agencies to investigate the matter and intervene to secure their release, stressing that the issue transcends money and touches on “human dignity, justice, and compassion.”
YEAC-Nigeria also appealed to well-meaning Nigerians and humanitarian organizations to assist the grieving family in offsetting the medical bill.
Efforts to obtain the hospital’s response to the allegations were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
