Oyo State Government through the Ministry of Health has sealed Oke-Itunu Central Hospital, Ibadan, and arrested the coordinator of the facility for offenses bordering on quackery.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, while parading the staff of this hospital at the Ministry, noted that the closure of the facility was coming on the heels of monitoring being carried out by the ministry in recent times to regulate and sanitize the operations of health facilities within the state and ensure that quackery was totally eradicated in the health sector.
The commissioner explained that the ministry, having received reports of quackery about the facility from concerned and well-meaning citizens, carried out a thorough investigation which indicated that the proprietor in charge of the facility performs surgical procedures on innocent and unsuspecting patients without a certificate of practice.
Dr.Ajetunmobi maintained that those engaged in quackery, would be punished according to the laws of the land, sounding a note of warning to other quacks in the health sector to desist from their harmful practices or else face the full wrath of the law.
She disclosed that the ministry is presently investigating the activities of some other healthcare operators suspected to be engaged in quackery, promising that they will be duly prosecuted if found liable.
The commissioner stressed the need for all operators of health facilities in Oyo State to ensure that such facilities are duly registered and manned by qualified health personnel, ensuring the annual licensing of all professionals working in their facilities, enforce the availability and use of adequate and appropriate instruments and equipment in their health facilities.
She called on the citizens of the state to patronize the state-owned Hospitals and the privates that are duly registered and have all what it takes to run health facilities.
She said: “The Oke-Itunu Central Hospital, Ibadan has been operating for four years, and the citizens of Oyo State have been patronizing this hospital.
” This hospital is not registered with the Ministry of Health and the owner of the hospital could not even be identified, he has employed quacks which are not qualified Medical doctors and nurses.”
” They have been doing a series of surgeries,as you can see from their case notes. They went ahead to treat malaria with chloroquine.”
“We are showcasing this to tell the good people of Oyo state that the State government is saying no to quackery, some of our patients have been killed from these acts.”
‘”We want to urge the people of Oyo State to look before they leap, and know the hospitals where they receive care.
” We have many government hospitals around us that can receive qualitative care from.”
“Some of these private hospitals are not licensed and even not registered with the Ministry of Health.
“People patronize these illegal hospitals because their ignorance and ignorance is a disease. We are telling the people of Oyo State to know where to receive their cares, they have many government hospitals around them that can be accessed.”
“We are not saying they should not patronize private hospitals, but let them do the needful. If you want to open a private hospital, you must be a qualified doctor, even if it is a clinic, you must be a qualified nurse, and must be registered and show the license you have been using to practice rather than opening a mushroom hospital.
