Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Enugu State Government, in collaboration with the Udenu Local Government Council, has commenced a crackdown on fake medical practitioners operating in rural communities.
During a joint operation on Sunday, officials from the Enugu State Ministry of Health and the Udenu LGA sealed St. Joseph’s Memorial Hospital, Ada-Ulo, Obollo Etiti, over alleged quackery. The self-acclaimed medical doctor and owner of the facility, Mr. Kenneth Mammah, was arrested.
The Media Officer to the Udenu LGA Chairman, Mr. Jude Eze, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday. He said the action followed complaints from residents of Onumkpu Ogerenyi village, who reported that an unlicensed practitioner had conducted a medical procedure on a community elder, leading to the victim’s death.
Eze said that, in response, the Council Chairman, Hon. Aka Eze-Aka, directed the Supervisor for Health, Hon. Chijioke Laz, to carry out a covert investigation into the allegations.
“After the assessment, it was confirmed that a facility was operating under the guise of a legitimate hospital but run by someone without medical credentials or regulatory approval,” Eze stated.
He added that the finding prompted a swift joint operation by the local health authorities and the State Ministry of Health’s Anti-Quack Enforcement Team, leading to the suspect’s arrest and the sealing of the facility.
Reacting to the development, Hon. Aka described the operation as a major breakthrough and a warning to others involved in medical quackery.
“This should serve as a clear warning that anyone who operates an unlicensed medical facility or parades fake credentials in Udenu LGA will face the full weight of the law. Our people will no longer be pawns in the hands of greedy death merchants masquerading as healthcare professionals,” he said.
The chairman vowed that similar enforcement exercises would continue across all communities in the LGA until medical quackery is completely eradicated.
