The Cross River State Government has sealed off Ben Damare Clinic and Maternity in Ekori Community, Yakurr Local Government Area after it was declared unfit to deliver health services by the State Health Authority.
BusinessDay reports that the operation took place Friday at Ekori, Yakurr Local Government Area. This latest action by Bassey Otu-led administration is part of its ongoing efforts to maintain good healthcare quality and eliminate quackery and other undesirable practices in the State’s health sector.
The move came just a few weeks after the Government clamped down on a quack trado-medical trade fair in Ogoja.
According to the Coordinator of the State Taskforce on Health Quality and Anti-Quackery, Dan Abubakar, the closure of the facility was necessary after it was confirmed that the clinic was not on the list of registered health facilities in Cross River State.
The Taskforce, along with a team of policemen from Ekori Police Station, carried out the operation after the community raised concerns about the increasing maternal and infant mortality rates in the Area.
The Community had reportedly lost a mother and her twin babies, as well as another mother and child, after Cesarean sections performed at the clinic in quick succession.
Abubakar pointed out that even a cursory look at the clinic’s setup revealed several problems, and he assured that the Taskforce is determined to rid the state’s health sector of quacks and their practices.
The proprietor of the clinic, Olisa Obi, claimed to have graduated from the University of Port Harcourt and also works with a non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Ebonyi State.
Obi said he would provide available documents to prove that his facility was duly registered to deliver health services.
Regarding the spate of maternal and infant deaths at the facility, the embattled clinic owner cited complications as the major factor, adding that in such situations, regrettable as they might be, deaths could occur.
Following the operation, the clinic owner, and his manager had been detained by the Police at Ekori for further investigation and possible prosecution.
The Cross River State Government’s decisive action highlights its commitment to ensuring the delivery of quality healthcare services and protecting the lives of its citizens by clamping down on unregistered and unfit health facilities within the State.
