By BANNERNEWS Reporter, Calabar
The Cross River State Government has sealed off Safe Hands Maternity Clinic, located at No. 21 Iyata Street in Calabar Municipality, following allegations of patient deaths and multiple violations of health regulations.
The facility, operated by Mrs. Inyang Ekeng, a Community Health Extension Officer and registrar at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), was shut down by the State Task Force on Health Quality and Anti-Quackery Committee headed by Dr. Dan Abubakar.
The committee said the clinic lacked the required licence to operate and was providing medical services beyond the scope permitted for its operators. Inspectors also uncovered numerous regulatory and safety breaches, including the absence of operational licences, inadequate consulting rooms, poor ventilation, lack of patient and staff records, unhygienic conditions and poor medical waste disposal practices.
Officials said the facility operated from a three-bedroom apartment that had been converted into a six-bed maternity ward without any licensed nurses on its staff.
Investigations further revealed that surgeries were allegedly carried out in what authorities described as a poorly equipped and substandard environment. The clinic was also found to have admitted an abandoned stroke patient despite lacking the capacity and authorisation to manage such cases.
Speaking after the inspection, Chairman of the State Task Force on Health Quality and Anti-Quackery Committee, Dr. Dan Abubakar, described the conditions discovered at the facility as alarming and dangerous to public health.
He said the state government would not tolerate the continued operation of illegal and substandard health facilities, noting that the administration of Governor Bassey Otu is investing in the renovation and construction of modern healthcare centres across the state.
“The Governor is currently facelifting and constructing modern, well-equipped health centres across the state. Residents are strongly encouraged to seek care at these approved facilities rather than risk their lives with quack operators,” he said.
Abubakar warned residents against patronising unaccredited clinics, stressing that many operate under unsafe and unsanitary conditions that pose serious risks to patients.
The committee said the facility has been sealed, while the proprietor and the doctor involved were given time to evacuate all admitted patients. It added that the action forms part of the government’s ongoing crackdown on unregistered and unfit healthcare facilities to ensure quality healthcare delivery and protect the lives of residents.
Cross River Shuts Illegal Clinic Run by Health Worker, UCTH Registrar Over Patient Deaths
