The Cross River State Government on Monday sealed the Safe Hand’s Maternity Clinic in Calabar Municipality of the state, following the reported death of a patient after surgery.
The facility was completely shut down by the State Task Force on Health Quality and Anti-Quackery after investigations revealed multiple violations of healthcare regulations, including performing surgical procedures in a substandard environment and operating the facility without the requisite approvals.
Chairman of the task force, Dr. Dan Abubakar, while speaking during inspection, expressed deep concern over the conditions observed at the facility, describing it as a serious threat to public health and safety.
He said, “What we found here is completely unacceptable. Facilities operating under these conditions are potential death traps and have no place in a healthcare system that prioritises patient safety and quality service delivery.”
He explained that the team paid an unscheduled inspection of the facility based on a petition linking the clinic to the death of a patient who reportedly underwent surgery at the centre located at No. 21 Iyata Street, Calabar, adding that the inspection uncovered alarming breaches of professional and operational standards.
He noted that the clinic, owned by Mrs. Inyang Ekeng, a Community Health Extension Officer, was operating from a converted three-bedroom apartment that had been transformed into a six-bed maternity ward, with no licensed nurses on staff.
Abubakar revealed that surgical procedures were being carried out by Dr. Sunday Abeng, a registrar with the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), describing the environment as poorly equipped and unsuitable for such medical interventions.
“We found a clinic owned by Mrs. Inyang Ekeng, a Community Health Extension Officer operating from a converted three-bedroom apartment that had been transformed into a six-bed maternity ward without any licensed nurses on its staff and surgical procedures were being carried out by Dr. Sunday Abeng, a registrar with the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital. Such an environment is poorly equipped and unsuitable for such medical interventions”, he lamented.
He further stated that the task force also discovered that the facility was operating beyond its approved scope of practice and had admitted an abandoned stroke patient despite lacking the capacity and infrastructure to manage such cases.
Other infractions identified during the inspection included the absence of operational licences, inadequate consulting rooms for doctors, poor ventilation, lack of staff records and patient registers, absence of theatre records, unhygienic conditions, poor waste management systems, and the engagement of unqualified personnel.
He stressed that the administration of Governor Bassey Otu remains committed to eliminating quackery and ensuring that residents have access to safe, professional, and regulated healthcare services.
“The state government is making significant investments in the health sector through the renovation and construction of modern healthcare facilities across the state, and residents should patronize only accredited health centres.”
The Governor is currently undertaking a facelift and constructing modern, well-equipped health facilities across Cross River State. We urge residents to seek medical care in approved facilities rather than risk their lives in the hands of unqualified operators,” Dr. Abubakar stated.
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