Crackdown Begins In Rivers As 21 Unregistered Medical Facilities Are Sealed

The Rivers State Ministry of Health has sealed 21 substandard and unregistered medical facilities across four local government areas and arrested three individuals during its third-quarter inspection and enforcement exercise.

The enforcement operation covered Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor, Ikwerre and Etche Local Government Areas, where officials inspected hospitals, maternity centres and diagnostic laboratories.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the affected facilities comprised eight hospitals, five maternity centres and eight diagnostic laboratories. Authorities said 19 of the facilities were completely unregistered and operating below the required healthcare standards, while another registered facility was shut down after inspectors discovered that it had no licensed doctors or nurses on duty.

Speaking during a press briefing in Port Harcourt, the Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Ministry of Health and Chairman of the State Anti-Quackery Committee, Dr Vincent Wachukwu, said the enforcement campaign was part of efforts to protect residents from unsafe medical practices and eliminate quackery in the state.

Wachukwu urged residents to confirm that healthcare facilities display a valid Certificate of Standards before patronising them, stressing that the ministry would continue to enforce regulatory requirements across the state.

One of the notable facilities sealed during the operation was Manda Clinic and Maternity in Elelenwo, which was shut in collaboration with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) over alleged child-trafficking activities.

The authorities reportedly intervened after a Liberian national admitted to obtaining three children from the unlicensed facility within one month.

In Igwuruta, officials also sealed Havilla Hospital and arrested its operator, identified as Isaac, for allegedly running the facility without a valid licence from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), despite his claim of having received medical training abroad.

Another operator, identified as Sunday Ogundele of Ola Oluwa Medical Centre, was arrested and handed over to the police for alleged impersonation after inspectors reportedly discovered that he had neither recognised medical qualifications nor the required licence to practise.

Kambel Hospital in Abara-Etche and Golden Era Hospital in Igwuruta were also shut down after inspectors found that they had no qualified medical personnel available to attend to patients.

The ministry further inspected Sarah Maternity at Belema Polo in the Enugu Waterside area, operated by a prominent traditional birth attendant known on social media. Authorities reportedly found that the facility handles more than 1,000 women and receives over 200 visitors daily.

Rather than shutting down the facility immediately, officials issued a formal warning to the operator and designated the centre as a pilot contact point for regulatory training, compliance with healthcare guidelines and the promotion of safety standards among traditional birth attendants.

The state government said the surveillance campaign followed intelligence indicating that more than 150 medical facilities were operating without official registration. Authorities also disclosed that only about 20 per cent of legally registered facilities were complying with annual inspection requirements and renewing their certificates as required.

Wachukwu commended the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), NAPTIP, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) for supporting the state government’s efforts to tackle illegal medical practices and strengthen healthcare regulation across Rivers State.