Rivers Govt seals hospital for operating illegally, to prosecute proprietor

The Rivers State Government has sealed a hospital operating illegally in Port Harcourt. Speaking to journalists on Sunday after sealing Divine Love Hospital at Rumuodara axis of Okporo road, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state, the Director Medical Services, Rivers State Ministry of Health, Dr Wachukwu Vincent said the team from the Ministry met a dead patient from a failed apendiceptomy operation in the hospital.

Describing the hospital as an environment unfit to be called a maternity home, Wachukwu said the owner of the facility will be prosecuted, adding that the cause of the death of the patient will be investigated.

He warned that the anti-quackery committee of the Ministry will soon be inaugurated by the state government to clamp down on such facilities.

“We had an information that there is an illegal hospital operating in this area.

“Our men came and actually identified that it was true and real.

“Getting here, they met a corpse of a patient that had apendiceptomy in an environment you can’t call a maternity home, not to talk of calling it a hospital.

“All of us know that our present governor, Siminalayi Fubara has the health of Rivers people at heart, and so he has directed that this type of place should not operate and that is why we are here to seal the place.

“We’re going to prosecute the so called owner of the hospital. We will investigate fully, and find out the immediate and remote causes of the death of the patient.

“And if he’s found culpable, he will be prosecuted,” he said.

Wachukwu added, “Every other person that is involved in activities like this, should desist henceforth because we are coming for them.

“The anti-quackery committee will soon be inaugurated and then all the necessary support will be given to them by the state government to fish out facilities like this in the nooks and crannies of the state, to make sure that these things don’t happen again.”

The doctor running the hospital was identified as Cornelius Alozie.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, Rivers State chapter, says it has zero tolerance for medical quackery in the state.

Dr Ebi Robinson, the state chairman of NMA, reiterated this commitment following the closure of Divine Love Hospital by the Rivers State Government for operating illegally in the Rumuodara, Port Harcourt.

Robinson emphasized the importance of practicing in hygienic environments, deeming it unacceptable to do otherwise.

Following the inspection alongside officials of the state Ministry of Health, it was revealed that the hospital lacked registration with the Ministry.

Robinson said, “We are here with the Ministry of Health to o seal off that facility and we found out that the facility is not registered with the Ministry of Health and the Director of Medical Service Unit.

“We also found out that there are issues of documentation and certification of the said medical practitioner.

“While we investigate the certification of the said medical practitioner, the Ministry of Health has sealed off that particular facility and it would not be used as a medical facility.”

Robinson announced the establishment of a medical vigilance unit where the public can report inconsistencies in medical treatment, emphasizing that more hospitals will face closure if found to be non-compliant.

“I want to advice the public that the Nigeria Medical Association, Rivers State Branch is opening up a Medical-Vigilant Unit, which is a public complaint unit for everybody in Rivers State, to make complaints where you found there is any form of malpractice, there is any form of inconsistency, any form of queries or complaints concerning your medical treatment or the facility you find yourself during medical treatment.

“And this would help us to collate data, this would help us in discoursing amongst ourselves. It will be as a form of appraisal and where necessary we prosecute because, quackery is not about somebody forging certificate and practicing as a doctor when he is not a doctor.

“There are also other forms of quackery with the practitioner not doing the right things at the right time,” he added.

DAILY POST gathered that the doctor has been detained by the Department of State Security, DSS.