The Rivers State Government has sealed Standard Maternity Hospital in Borikiri, Port Harcourt, following the death of a pregnant woman, Victoria Paris, who was allegedly denied a life-saving blood transfusion due to religious beliefs.
Paris, a mother of four and resident of Port Harcourt, was seven months pregnant when she went into preterm labor. According to her brother-in-law, Chris Adams, she was rushed to the hospital, where she underwent a cesarean section and suffered severe blood loss.
Despite the critical situation, the hospital’s owner reportedly refused to carry out a blood transfusion, due to her(the doctor) affiliation with the Jehovah’s Witness faith as the reason. As her condition worsened, family members quickly moved her to another nearby facility, but she was declared dead on arrival.
In response to public outcry and preliminary findings, authorities have shut down the hospital as investigations into the circumstances surrounding the death continue.
