The Rivers State Government has intensified its clampdown on quackery in the health sector with the sealing of several medical facilities across the state and the arrest of a man who allegedly posed as a doctor.
Chairman of the Rivers State Anti-Quackery Committee, Dr Vincent Wachukwu, who disclosed this in Port Harcourt yesterday, said despite ongoing efforts by the government, the menace of quackery remained widespread.
Wachukwu, who is also the Director of Medical Services at the Ministry of Health, revealed that the committee had been inundated with reports from residents, civil society organisations, and professional bodies on suspected unlicensed medical operations. Following investigations and inspections, he said, erring facilities were sealed and arrests made.
Among those shut was Bristol Clinic and Maternity in Rumuodomaya, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, which had previously been sealed by the government more than 10 years ago. According to Wachukwu, the facility was allegedly run by one Mr Kingsley Ugwu, who paraded himself as a medical doctor and employed auxiliary nurses to carry out maternity and surgical procedures in an unsafe environment.
“This man claimed to be a doctor, running surgeries and maternity services. Yet, the facility’s licence was revoked over a decade ago. There were no qualified medical personnel, no nurses, no pharmacists, but surgeries were still being performed under poor conditions without infection prevention controls,” Wachukwu said.
He confirmed that Ugwu was arrested and would be prosecuted for quackery and impersonation.
Another sealed facility was Adoration Hospital and Maternity Ltd in Omagwa, Ikwerre LGA. The hospital reportedly operated out of a three-room shop, offering maternity and surgical services, while also training auxiliary nurses. Wachukwu said the supposed proprietor, a newly graduated doctor, had been summoned for questioning.
Similarly, Lucky Pharmacy in Omagwa was shut down after it was allegedly converted into a treatment and diagnostic centre by a patent medicine dealer who admitted patients and administered infusions. The matter, Wachukwu said, had been referred to the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN).
Also sealed was Sosan Medical Centre, Laboratory and School of Nursing, located off Okporo Road in Obio/Akpor LGA. The committee described it as an unregistered operation run from a residential duplex, doubling as a clinic, NGO, and a training centre for nurses. The proprietor, he added, had been summoned, while the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria had been notified.
In Aluu, Ikwerre LGA, the committee visited the premises of Miss Rejoice Ogbia, a patent medicine dealer alleged to be administering intravenous medications and providing traditional birth services. Though no patients were found, Wachukwu said she had been previously warned and would be monitored closely.
He stressed that quackery was not peculiar to Rivers State but assured that the government, in partnership with the Nigerian Medical Association, security agencies, NGOs, and civil society organisations, was committed to reducing it to the barest minimum.
“No individual, NGO, religious body, or private hospital is authorised to conduct free medical services without approval from the Ministry of Health. Any group or individual caught will face the full weight of the law,” he warned.
The committee chairman also sounded a note of caution to health professionals aiding quacks, insisting they would not be spared. He further advised media organisations against promoting unregistered facilities, noting that public health and safety must remain paramount.
Wachukwu urged residents to utilise the state’s Contributory Health Protection Programme, which, he said, guarantees safe and standard healthcare delivery.
