EDO, Nigeria – Safe Bliss Medical Centre in Benin City, Edo State, is under intense scrutiny after being accused of infecting a 20-month-old boy with HIV through a contaminated blood transfusion.
According to Medical World Nigeria, the child’s father paid ₦40,000 in February for a transfusion after doctors warned his son was critically anaemic.
Following two procedures, the toddler was discharged. Weeks later, his parents noticed unusual symptoms, leading to a shocking HIV diagnosis.
The hospital reportedly ignored the family’s complaints until the case attracted media attention and intervention from the Edo State Commissioner for Health, Cyril Adams Oshiomhole.
Dismissing the hospital’s claim that the child might have been infected elsewhere, Oshiomhole stated: “Pharmacies do not handle transfusions; they only dispense drugs. It was clear they were guilty.”
During mediation, the commissioner presented three options: lifetime employment for the parents, full medical responsibility for the child, and ₦700,000 compensation.
He warned that if the case went to court, “someone would be jailed.”
The hospital’s owner, a retired nurse, pleaded financial incapacity but promised to review the proposals. Months later, amid growing public anger, the clinic offered ₦300,000 as settlement.
The boy’s father flatly rejected the offer, describing it as “wicked,” and demanded ₦100 million.
“They have altered my child’s life forever. If they will not take responsibility, I will go to court, and I am certain they will lose,” he said.
Authorities have since sealed the hospital as investigations continue.
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