Rivers shuts 21 health facilities, arrests three over quackery

Rivers State Ministry of Health has shut down 21 health facilities across four local government areas for operating without registration or failing to meet the state’s minimum healthcare standards.

The ministry also said three people were arrested for alleged offences uncovered during its third-quarter inspection and enforcement exercise carried out in Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor, Ikwerre and Etche Local Government Areas.

The affected facilities comprise eight hospitals, five maternity centres and eight diagnostic facilities, while 19 of them were allegedly unregistered and operating below the minimum standards prescribed by the ministry.

One registered facility was also shut down after inspectors found that no licensed doctor or nurse was available during a random inspection.

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The ministry said the inspection followed surveillance reports indicating that more than 150 health facilities were operating without registration and supervision, adding that only 20 per cent of registered facilities were complying with mandatory annual inspections and renewal of certificates of standards.

Among the facilities sealed was Manda Clinic and Maternity in Elelenwo, which the ministry said was shut down in a joint operation with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, over suspected child-trafficking activities.

According to the ministry, a Liberian national had disclosed the procurement of three children from the facility within a month, while the facility was also found to be unregistered and operating without licensed medical practitioners.

The ministry said the operators of the facility were arrested by NAPTIP, while its premises were sealed as investigations continued.

Another facility, Havilla Hospital in Igwuruta, was shut down after its operator, identified as Isaac, was found to be running an unregistered facility without a licence from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN, despite allegedly claiming to have undergone medical training in Ukraine.

The ministry said Isaac had been arrested and would be referred to the MDCN, while the operator of Ola Oluwa Medical Centre in Igwuruta, identified as Sunday Ogundele, was arrested and handed over to the police for alleged impersonation after inspectors found that he had no medical training or licence.

Kambel Hospital in Abara-Etche and Golden Era Hospital in Igwuruta were also shut down after the ministry said they had no licensed doctor or nurse operating at the facilities.

The ministry further disclosed that it inspected Sarah Maternity in Belema Polo, Enugu Waterside, operated by a popular social media traditional birth attendant, where it found a reported patient load of more than 1,000 women and daily traffic of over 200 women.

Although the facility was not shut down, the ministry said its operator was issued an official warning and that the facility would serve as a contact point for other traditional birth attendants and maternity centres on supervision, training, practice guidelines and advertising.

Speaking at a press briefing in Port Harcourt on Monday, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, who doubles as the State Anti-Quackery Committee chairman, Dr Vincent Wachukwu, said the enforcement exercise was part of the government’s efforts to protect residents from unsafe medical practices.

“Rivers State Ministry of Health is fully committed to its regulatory function and is committed to eradicating quackery from Rivers State as part of its mandate on health security,” he said.

He added: “We mandate all registered facilities to display their ‘Certificate of Standards’ at the reception of their facilities.”

Dr Wachukwu also urged residents to verify that health facilities have valid certificates before seeking care and to report suspicious medical practices to the authorities.

“We also appeal to members of the public to notify the Rivers State Ministry of Health of any suspicious medical practices in health facilities within Rivers State,” he said.

The ministry said the enforcement drive against facilities that fail to undergo annual inspections and renew their certificates of minimum standards would continue throughout 2026.

Wachukwu thanked the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NAPTIP, the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, and other professional bodies for supporting its efforts to enforce standards in the health sector.

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