Pregnant Woman Recounts Trauma After Health Centre Allegedly Declared Her HIV-Positive

A Nigerian woman has recounted the emotional distress she experienced after a health centre allegedly informed her that she was HIV-positive while she was eight months pregnant, only for subsequent tests at three other hospitals to reportedly return negative results.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the woman shared her experience on social media, revealing that the incident occurred four years ago and left her devastated until her husband encouraged her to seek further medical testing.

Recalling her initial reaction to the result, she said she broke down in tears before returning home to inform her husband, who expressed disbelief and urged her not to lose hope.

“I cried my eyes out, ran home, and told my husband. He said, ‘It can’t be possible, baby,’” she recounted.

The woman explained that she and her husband subsequently visited their regular hospital for another test, which reportedly returned a negative result. They then sought confirmation at two additional hospitals, where the results were also negative, according to her account.

She said her husband later confronted the health centre over the initial diagnosis. During the encounter, the facility’s chief allegedly apologised and attributed the incident to expired HIV test kits.

According to the woman, the official explained that the facility’s staff had continued using the kits while waiting for a new supply from the government. She expressed shock over the alleged practice, stressing the potential consequences of inaccurate test results, particularly for pregnant women.

Reflecting on the experience years later, the woman said the incident subjected her to considerable emotional trauma during an already vulnerable period of her life. She also expressed concern about the possible strain such a result could have placed on her marriage and family.

Her account has drawn attention to the importance of quality control in medical testing, the proper handling of diagnostic supplies and the need for healthcare providers to ensure that unexpected HIV test results are appropriately confirmed and communicated.

However, the allegations have not been independently verified, and the identity of the health centre was not disclosed in her account. The reported negative results from subsequent tests were also described by the woman herself.