Father Accuses Edo Hospital Of Infecting Toddler with HIV Via Contaminated Blood Transfusion
A grieving father, Praise Mumbor, has raised serious allegations against a private medical facility in Benin City, accusing it of infecting his one-year-nine-month-old son, Jeremiah Mumbor, with HIV through a tainted blood transfusion.
The hospital at the center of the storm is Safe Bliss Medical Centre, located opposite Oliha Primary School on Siluko Road. According to Mumbor, the ordeal began on February 6, 2025, when his previously healthy son fell critically ill and was rushed to the facility.
In an exclusive report obtained by SaharaReporters, the distraught father recalled that doctors at Safe Bliss Medical Centre diagnosed his son with dangerously low blood levels. He offered to donate blood, but the hospital allegedly rejected his offer, citing the unavailability of testing personnel due to the emergency nature of the case. The hospital then insisted on purchasing blood from an external blood bank.
“I paid ₦40,000 for two pints of blood which were transfused into my son,”
Mumbor said. The boy was discharged two days later.
However, the situation worsened in May when the toddler fell sick again and was readmitted to the same hospital. Once more, doctors declared him severely anaemic and administered a second blood transfusion. Despite days of treatment, the child’s condition did not improve.
Eventually, the hospital’s proprietor reportedly admitted she had exhausted all treatment options and referred the child to Edo Specialist Hospital. It was there that Jeremiah tested positive for HIV—a shocking diagnosis confirmed by further tests at Central Hospital.
“The doctors asked if he had ever received a blood transfusion, and when we told them about the previous procedures at Safe Bliss, the truth started unfolding,”
Mumbor lamented.
Further testing confirmed that both parents were HIV-negative, suggesting the virus was not inherited. The father began seeking justice, first reporting the case to the Edo State Ministry of Justice and later attempting to confront the hospital.
The hospital’s owner, according to Mumbor, ignored multiple invitations from the ministry, only appearing after a third summon—accompanied by legal representation. Following stalled progress with state authorities, Mumbor sought legal counsel and reported the case to the police.
At the police station, the hospital owner, the lab allegedly responsible for supplying the blood, and their legal teams were all present. Both sides presented their accounts, and an investigation was launched.
Efforts to obtain a response from Safe Bliss Medical Centre were unsuccessful as of press time.
Human rights advocate Comrade Glory Omonigho, who is supporting the family, described the case as “a public health emergency,” and urged swift intervention by the Edo State Ministry of Health, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), and the Nigerian Blood Services Commission (NBSC).
He also confirmed that the hospital has since been sealed by authorities for operating without a valid medical license.
Meanwhile, the Edo State Police Command has confirmed that an investigation is underway. “The case is under investigation, sir,” said the command’s spokesperson, Yamu Moses Joel, in a brief response to SaharaReporters.
As legal proceedings and medical inquiries continue, the Mumbor family is demanding justice and accountability for what they describe as an avoidable tragedy that will affect their son for life.