A tragic and avoidable death has rocked the Borikiri area of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, after 33-year-old Victoria Paris, who was seven months pregnant and a mother of four, reportedly died following a cesarean section at Standard Maternity Hospital.
The hospital allegedly refused to administer a life-saving blood transfusion, citing religious beliefs.
Victoria, a native of Koluama in Bayelsa State, was rushed to the facility after going into premature labour.
According to her brother-in-law, Chris Adams, doctors performed a cesarean section, but Victoria was left critically anemic and in urgent need of a transfusion.
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Shockingly, the hospital, owned by an alleged member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, reportedly denied the procedure, adhering to religious doctrine over medical necessity.
With her condition rapidly worsening, Victoria’s family rushed her to another hospital, where she was declared dead on arrival.
As of now, no official investigation has been confirmed, and authorities have remained silent.
The incident has sparked outrage and raised urgent questions about the limits of religious belief in critical healthcare decisions and patient rights in Nigeria.
