By Seyi Odewale
The Cross River State Government has sealed off Safe Hand’s Maternity Clinic in Calabar Municipality over alleged unprofessional medical practices and deplorable operating conditions linked to the reported death of a patient after surgery.
The enforcement action was carried out by the State Task Force on Health Quality and Anti-Quackery Committee following a petition alleging that a patient died after undergoing an operation at the facility located at No. 21 Iyata Street, Calabar.
Chairman of the committee, Dr. Dan Abubakar, who led the inspection team during an unscheduled visit to the clinic, described the conditions discovered at the facility as “disturbing, dangerous and unacceptable.”
“What we saw here is nothing short of a death trap. Facilities like this have no business handling surgical and maternity cases,” Abubakar said.
Investigators discovered that the clinic, owned by Mrs. Inyang Ekeng, a Community Health Extension Officer, was operating from a converted three-bedroom apartment turned into a six-bed maternity ward without licensed nurses or standard medical infrastructure.
The committee further revealed that surgeries were allegedly being conducted at the facility by Dr. Sunday Abeng, identified as a registrar with the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), despite the poor and substandard condition of the clinic.
Officials also found that the centre had exceeded its approved operational scope by managing critical cases, including an abandoned stroke patient.
According to the task force, the clinic lacked operational licences, standard consulting rooms, proper ventilation, patient documentation records, theatre registers, staff records and approved waste disposal systems.
The committee also cited unhygienic surroundings and the engagement of unqualified personnel as part of the infractions uncovered during the inspection.
Abubakar warned that the state government would not tolerate illegal medical facilities operating below approved healthcare standards.
“The era of quack medical operators endangering innocent lives is over. We are determined to sanitize the healthcare system and protect residents from unsafe medical practices,” he stated.
He said the administration of Governor was investing heavily in modern healthcare infrastructure across the state and urged residents to seek treatment only from accredited facilities.
“The Governor is currently upgrading and constructing modern healthcare centres across the state. Citizens must avoid patronising illegal clinics that expose them to needless risks,” he added.
Abubakar further warned that seeking treatment in unaccredited clinics amounts to “a suicide mission,” given the unsafe conditions under which many operate.
The facility was subsequently sealed while the management was directed to evacuate all admitted patients pending further investigations.
The state government said the action forms part of broader efforts to eliminate quackery, enforce professional standards and ensure safe healthcare delivery across Cross River State.
