A storm of controversy has erupted in Port Harcourt following reports that Meridian Hospital, located on D-Line, has allegedly detained a baby and her grandmother for more than a year over an unpaid medical bill amounting to ₦4.6 million.
According to viral posts on Port Harcourt social media platforms, the baby’s mother, Mrs. Chiamaka, a 36-year-old resident of the city, was a registered antenatal patient at Meridian Hospital on Ikwerre Road.
Tragedy struck when she reportedly went into premature labor at seven months and was transferred to the D-Line headquarters of Meridian Hospital, where she gave birth to a preterm baby but unfortunately died from post-partum bleeding.
The premature baby, who reportedly weighed 0.9kg at birth, was placed in an incubator and kept under intensive medical care for four months. The family claims the hospital issued a bill of ₦6,000,000 upon discharge and has refused to release the child and the grandmother, who served as the baby’s caregiver, after the family managed to pay ₦1.4 million.
Sources allege that despite multiple appeals and offers to pay the balance in installments, the hospital has continued to hold the baby and grandmother, a situation described by many as “inhumane and unlawful.”
However, in a press release dated October 27, 2025, Meridian Hospital refuted the allegations, describing circulating reports as misleading. The hospital explained that the matter is currently before a competent court of law and that it had acted in the best interest of the child to protect her from “neglect, oppression, and abandonment.”
According to the statement, the hospital sued on behalf of the child to secure social safety and a court order transferring the baby to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH).
The management also emphasized that its guiding principle of “Life First” led to the baby’s survival, asserting that it provided full medical care regardless of the family’s inability to pay at the time.
Meridian Hospitals further highlighted its 30-year record of ethical medical practice and extensive corporate social responsibility, urging the public and media to remain “rational, fair-minded, and balanced” as due legal processes continue.
As the case unfolds, public attention remains fixed on how the courts and relevant authorities will resolve the matter, which has sparked widespread debate on the intersection of healthcare costs, ethics, and human rights in Nigeria.
