Adedokun Waliyu 
A Lagos High Court sitting in the Ikeja area has ordered government hospitals in the State to stop demanding compulsory blood donations from women seeking antenatal and maternity services.
Justice Raliat Adebiyi gave the order in a judgment delivered on Monday and restrained the state government hospitals from demanding blood donations from spouses and other relations of pregnant women seeking antenatal and maternity services.
A non-governmental organisation, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) had filed a fundamental rights suit to compel the respondents to stop the act.
SERAP, on its grounds for seeking reliefs, said it had received complaints from residents of Lagos about the compulsory blood donation policy of government hospitals.
The respondents to the suit are the Attorney-General of Lagos State, Lagos State Ministry of Health, and the Commissioner for Health, Lagos State.
In her judgment, Justice Adebiyi said, “The respondents’ contributions to child and maternal deaths stands to reason, although no data on the child and maternal mortalities recorded as a result of the policy was provided to the court.
