Anambra Govt. shuts 30 health facilities due to quackery

The Anambra State Government on Friday said it had closed down over 30 illegal health facilities run by quacks, to safeguard the health of residents in the state.

Dr Afam Obidike, state Commissioner for Health, made the disclosure at the 2024 Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Anambra State Chapter and the 5th Prof. Festus Nwako Memorial Lecture.

Obidike said the administration of Gov. Chukwuma Soludo instituted the State Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency to fight quackery and eradicate illegal medical services.

“The issue of quackery is a major concern in the government and we are doing all we can to eliminate it.

“So far, we have closed down over 30 health facilities in the state and we discovered that the owners and operators of these hospitals are not even medical doctors.

“These quacks were making so much money because they do not have conscience. They were carrying out surgeries and toying with the health and lives of our people.

“We are appealing to the NMA to partner with the state government to eliminate quackery in the health sector to save people from untimely death and improve their life expectancy,” he said.

The Commission said the state government was committed to improving healthcare delivery in the state.

Obidike said the government had commenced construction, renovation and equipping of public hospitals across the state as well as massive recruitment of health workers to improve access to heath services.