Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), has ordered a crackdown on quack hospitals and unlicensed medical doctors operating in Abuja, the nationโs capital.
Wike issued the directive following the death of a pregnant woman, Chekwube Chinagorom, after undergoing a caesarean section at a hospital in Abuja on Friday.
A statement issued by Lere Olayinka, media aide to Wike, said the caesarean section was conducted at Afolmi Hospital in the Durumi area of the capital city.
Olayinka said Chinagorom delivered a baby at the hospital and was later referred to Asokoro District Hospital for care.
He added that the woman was brought in dead to the Asokoro District Hospital.
โInvestigation conducted by the Private Health Establishments Registration and Monitoring Committee (PHERMC) revealed that Afolmi Hospital was not duly registered,โ the statement reads.
โAt the time of inspection, only one staff member, Mr. Simon Elisha Godiya, who identified himself as a Junior Community Health Extension Worker (JCHEW), was present on duty.
โMr. Godiya reported that the surgical operation was performed by one Murtala Jumma in conjunction with another unidentified individual.
โAll attempts to reach Murtala Jumma via phone were unsuccessful.
โShortly after the PHERMC team arrived at the facility, a detachment of officers from the Nigeria Police, Durumi Divisional Headquarters, also arrived.
โThe case was immediately handed over to the police for further investigation. The officer in charge requested that the PHERMC team accompany them to the station to formally record the incident, and the team complied accordingly.โ
Olayinka said due to the incident, the FCT minister has ordered that โhenceforth, anyone found to be operating or working in an unregistered health facility should be arrested and prosecutedโ.
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