Ten herbal practitioners have been arrested in Calabar, Cross River State.
They illegally mounted a herbal medicine outreach at the Christmas Village, Calabar Municipal Secretariat, without the requisite approvals or licences.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Henry Egbe Ayuk, while disclosing the arrest in Calabar, vowed decisive action against individuals or organisations operating outside the law in both the public and private health sectors.
While declaring zero tolerance for unlicensed and unauthorized medical practice, Ayuk , warned that the state will no longer condone quackery in any form, citing the arrest of the 10 herbal practitioners in the state.
Dr. Ayuk stressed that no practitioner, orthodox or traditional, has the right to establish a medical facility or outreach anywhere in the state without proper assessment, clearance and authorization by the state government through the Ministry of Health.
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He described such illegal activities as dangerous and reckless, with the potential to cause severe health complications including liver and kidney failures and avoidable deaths due to the use of unvalidated drugs and procedures.
The commissioner reaffirmed the state’s resolve to completely rid the health sector of quackery, announcing that the Health Quality and Anti-Quackery Task Force will be fully strengthened in the coming year to intensify surveillance, enforcement and prosecution of offenders.
He added that the ongoing finalisation of the bill establishing the state anti-quackery agency will provide a stronger legal framework to decisively tackle the menace.
Dr. Ayuk also cautioned media organisations to refrain from promoting or airing medical activities without prior clearance from the state Ministry of Health, warning that such publicity often emboldens quacks and exposes citizens to grave risks.
He further warned landlords, including local government authorities, not to lease property for medical services without clearance from the Ministry of Health, stressing that anyone found aiding or abetting illegal medical practice will be held accountable.
“The health and lives of Cross Riverians are non-negotiable,” the commissioner declared, adding that the government will enforce existing laws to their fullest extent to protect the public from medical fraud and abuse.
