The Rivers State Ministry of Health has sealed two health facilities in Abuloma, Port Harcourt, as part of its October enforcement drive against unregistered hospitals and facilities operating with expired Certificates of Standards.
The facilities, Shilow Hospital, located at 15 Jetty Road, Abuloma, and Eli Nath Hospital, situated at Bitterleaf Junction, Abuloma, were shut down following inspections by the ministry’s enforcement team.
In a statement, Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) National Anti-Quackery Committee, Dr Hope Avundaa, said the inspection of Shilow Hospital followed a formal request by the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Health, Dr Ekem Emmanuel John, to the Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Ministry of Health, Dr Vincent Wachukwu.
The request sought an investigation to authenticate a medical report issued by the facility and presented by a medical practitioner undergoing disciplinary investigation.
According to Avundaa, the investigation revealed that the three-bed facility was in a poor sanitary condition, was unregistered and operated under two different names.
He explained that although the signpost bore the name Shilow Hospital, separate folders found in the facility carried the names “SHILOW Hospital” and “SHILWINNING Hospital.”
The statement added that the facility had no records to support the medical report it issued and had no licensed medical practitioner on the ground.
The ministry subsequently sealed the facility and summoned its operator for further investigation.
At Eli Nath Hospital, the enforcement team reportedly discovered that a row of shops had been converted into a hospital, with substandard operating theatres and a labour room located by the roadside.
Avundaa said the facility was operated solely by a Community Health Extension Worker (CHEW), who allegedly obtained a medical practitioner’s licence to facilitate the hospital’s registration.
He added that the practitioner who allegedly allowed the facility operator to use the licence had been petitioned to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) for investigation.
The NMA official reiterated the Rivers State Ministry of Health’s commitment to enforcing healthcare standards and ensuring respect for the ethics and professional standards of the medical profession.
He also urged health facility operators to ensure their Certificates of Minimum Standards were up to date to avoid fines and other penalties.
