Benin City, Edo State – A father, Mr. Praise Mumbor, has accused Safebliss Medical Center, a private hospital in Benin City, of infecting his one-year-nine-month-old son with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) during a blood transfusion, demanding ₦100 million in compensation.
Mr. Mumbor told SaharaReporters that his previously healthy son, Jeremiah, became critically ill on February 6, 2025, and was rushed to the hospital.
Doctors allegedly claimed his blood level had dropped dangerously low, after which a transfusion was carried out at the cost of ₦40,000.
Two days later, the boy was discharged. But what should have been a life-saving procedure soon turned into tragedy, as subsequent tests revealed the child had contracted HIV.
The case has now attracted the attention of the Edo State Ministry of Health.
At a meeting convened by the State Commissioner for Health, Hon. Dr. Cyril Adams Oshomile, both parties were summoned to the Secretariat on August 4.
According to Mumbor, the Commissioner, after reviewing the baby’s medical file, bluntly told the hospital management that “if this matter goes to court, the hospital will lose, and someone must go to jail.”
Tension reportedly rose when the hospital’s lawyer and administrator attempted to shift blame, suggesting the infection might have been contracted elsewhere.
The Commissioner dismissed the claim, insisting pharmacies do not perform blood transfusions.
The Commissioner then proposed two resolutions:
Government support for the parents through employment opportunities.
Financial assistance from the hospital toward the child’s medical care, suggesting ₦700,000.
However, the hospital management allegedly offered only ₦300,000, citing financial hardship.
Mr. Mumbor rejected the offer, describing it as “an insult” to his child’s suffering.
“They are proposing ₦300,000 for a baby whose life has been permanently altered. This is wickedness. I am demanding ₦100 million because this is not just about money—it is about justice and accountability. Somebody must be held responsible,” he declared.
He further accused the Ministry of Health of initially ignoring his petitions until media reports forced intervention.
The grieving father vowed to pursue legal action if the state government fails to secure justice.
