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The Rivers State Ministry of Health has sealed eight additional health facilities and arrested four persons for alleged medical quackery, impersonation, and operating without registration.
The enforcement exercise, conducted in October as part of the ministry’s ongoing inspection of health facilities across the state, follows the recent closure of 21 facilities over alleged quackery and child trafficking.
The latest operation uncovered an illegal health facility allegedly operating within a residential compound at Number 27 Victoria Street, where two persons were apprehended while attempting to perform a thyroidectomy on a patient in a dark theatre.
The suspects, identified as Ataisi Jephtha, who allegedly paraded himself as a surgeon, and Mgboawaji Edwin, were arrested for prosecution, while the facility was immediately sealed by the enforcement team.
A thyroidectomy is a surgical procedure involving the removal of part or all of the thyroid gland, which is located in the neck, popularly called goitre.
The discovery has again raised concerns about the dangers posed by unqualified individuals who undertake medical procedures without the requisite professional training and regulatory approval.
Beyond the incident at Victoria Street, the inspection team also shut down five other hospitals and two laboratory centres for allegedly operating without registration and failing to meet the minimum standards required for healthcare delivery.
The exercise forms part of the Rivers State Government’s efforts to rid the health sector of unqualified practitioners and ensure that healthcare facilities comply with established regulations designed to protect patients and improve the quality of medical services.
According to a statement by the Ministry’s Press Officer, Ednah Alete, the Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Ministry of Health, Vincent Wachukwu, warned that licensed medical practitioners are not exempt from sanctions if they operate in unregistered or substandard facilities.
Wachukwu explained that possessing a professional licence does not automatically authorise a practitioner to operate in a facility that has not met the necessary regulatory requirements.
He stressed that practitioners who disregard the guidelines of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN, risk penalties in accordance with the applicable regulations.
Residents have also been urged to exercise caution when seeking medical attention by verifying the registration and legitimacy of healthcare facilities and the qualifications of practitioners before undergoing treatment or surgical procedures.
The ministry says the inspection and enforcement exercise will continue as part of efforts to strengthen regulation, discourage medical quackery, and protect residents from unsafe healthcare practices.
