The Rivers State Government has pledged to settle the outstanding medical bill of a newborn reportedly held by a private hospital in Port Harcourt.
The father of the child, Ugochukwu Onyenehido, denied claims that he abandoned the baby after the death of his wife. He explained that the dispute began when he insisted the private hospital continue treating the infant instead of transferring the child to another facility.
According to him, the hospital said it lacked the equipment to sustain treatment and directed that the baby be moved to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH). However, both UPTH and the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital allegedly informed him there were no available spaces at the time.
He further claimed that matters worsened when his sister-in-law, who went to visit the child, was detained and pressured to sign a transfer document. Onyenehido said he continued to pay for the baby’s care, but after three months, he was presented with a new bill totaling ₦4.6 million. When he appealed for a review, he said the hospital responded by serving him court papers.
Efforts to get a response from the hospital were unsuccessful, as relevant officials were unavailable when our correspondent visited.
The baby has now been released, and the Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adaeze Oreh, confirmed that a payment plan has been agreed upon. She added that the hospital is expected to submit the final bill by Monday.
