The Cross River State Task Force on Health Quality and Anti-Quackery has shut down an illegal maternity facility in Calabar Municipality following a reported death of a patient after surgery.
Key highlight:
- Cross River authorities shut down Safe Hand’s Maternity Clinic in Calabar after a patient reportedly died following surgery at the facility.
- Investigations uncovered serious regulatory violations, including conducting surgeries in a poorly equipped environment and operating without the required licenses and approvals.
- The clinic, run from a converted residential apartment, lacked licensed nurses and employed unqualified personnel, raising concerns about patient safety.
- Inspectors found multiple deficiencies, including poor hygiene, inadequate ventilation, poor waste management, missing patient records, and operation beyond its approved scope of practice.
- The state government reiterated its commitment to combating medical quackery, sealed the facility, and warned residents to seek treatment only from accredited healthcare centres.
The facility, Safe Hand’s Maternity Clinic, was sealed after investigations revealed multiple violations of healthcare regulations, including the conduct of surgical procedures in a substandard environment and operating the facility without the requisite approvals.
Acting on a petition linking the clinic to the death of a patient who reportedly underwent surgery at the facility, the enforcement team, led by Dr. Dan Abubakar, carried out an unscheduled inspection of the facility located at No. 21 Iyata Street, Calabar.
The inspection uncovered what officials described as alarming breaches of professional and operational standards.
The clinic, owned by one Mrs. Inyang Ekeng, a community health extension officer, was found to be operating from a converted three-bedroom apartment that had been transformed into a six-bed maternity ward without any licensed nurses on its staff.
Further investigations revealed that surgical procedures were being carried out by Dr. Sunday Abeng, a registrar with the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), in what the committee described as a poorly equipped and unsuitable environment for such medical interventions.
The taskforce also discovered that the facility was operating beyond its approved scope of practice and had admitted an abandoned stroke patient, despite lacking the capacity and infrastructure to manage such cases.
Other infractions identified during the inspection, included the absence of operational licences, inadequate consulting rooms for doctors, poor ventilation, lack of staff records and patient registers, absence of theatre records, unhygienic conditions, poor waste management systems, and the engagement of unqualified personnel.
Speaking after the inspection, Dr. Abubakar expressed deep concern over the conditions observed at the facility, describing it as a serious threat to public health and safety.
“What we found here is completely unacceptable. Facilities operating under these conditions are potential death traps and have no place in a healthcare system that prioritizes patient safety and quality service delivery,” he said.
He stressed that the administration of Governor Bassey Otu remains committed to eliminating quackery and ensuring that residents have access to safe, professional, and regulated healthcare services.
According to him, the state government is making significant investments in the health sector through the renovation and construction of modern healthcare facilities across the state, and residents should patronize only accredited health centres.
“The governor is currently facelifting and constructing modern, well-equipped health facilities across Cross River State.
“We urge residents to seek medical care in approved facilities rather than risk their lives in the hands of unqualified operators,” Dr. Abubakar stated.
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He further warned that patronizing unaccredited health facilities could have devastating consequences, given the dangerous and unsanitary conditions under which many such facilities operate.
Following the enforcement action, the facility was sealed while the owner and attending doctor were granted time to evacuate all admitted patients.
The latest operation highlights the Cross River State government’s resolve to strengthen healthcare regulation, enforce professional standards, and protect citizens from unsafe medical practices.
Authorities reiterated that any health facility found operating illegally or below acceptable standards would face appropriate sanctions as part of the state’s ongoing anti-quackery campaign.
