The Cross River State Task Force on Health Quality and Anti-Quackery Committee has sealed a private maternity facility, Safe Hands Maternity Clinic, in Calabar Municipality following the reported death of a patient after surgery.
Inspection and Findings
The enforcement team, led by its Chairman, Dr. Dan Abubakar, carried out an unscheduled inspection of the facility located at No. 21 Iyata Street after a petition linked the death of a patient to an operation conducted at the centre. During the visit, investigators reportedly discovered that the clinic, operated by a Community Health Extension Officer, Mrs. Inyang Ekeng, was a three-bedroom apartment converted into a six-bed maternity ward without licensed nurses. They also alleged that surgical procedures were being carried out by Dr Sunday Abeng, a Registrar at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), in a poorly equipped, substandard environment.
The team further found that the facility was operating beyond its approved scope, including the admission of an abandoned stroke patient. Other violations cited included a lack of an operational licence, an absence of proper consulting rooms and office space for doctors, poor ventilation, no staff records or patient registers, no theatre documentation, unhygienic conditions, poor waste disposal systems, and the employment of unqualified personnel. Following these findings, the facility was sealed, while the owner and staff were directed to evacuate all inpatients.
Official Reaction
Reacting, Dr. Abubakar described the facility as a “potential death trap” that endangered unsuspecting members of the public. He said the state government would not tolerate illegal and substandard medical operations, noting that the administration of Governor Bassey Otu is upgrading health infrastructure across the state to provide safer alternatives for residents. “The Governor is currently facelifting and constructing modern, well-equipped health centres across the state. Residents are strongly encouraged to seek care at these approved facilities rather than risk their lives with quack operators,” he said. He warned that patronising unaccredited clinics was dangerous and could amount to a “suicide mission,” given the unsafe conditions in many of such facilities.
The Task Force reaffirmed its commitment to clamping down on illegal health facilities and ensuring the delivery of quality healthcare services across Cross River State.
