Quackry: Ogun govt begins prosecution of owner of alleged illegal medical facility at Ewekoro
Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta
Ogun State government said it has commenced the prosecution of the owner of an alleged illegal medical facility for various infractions, saying it would leave no stone unturned in combating quackery in the State.
The government had few weeks ago sealed some health facilities in Ewekoro Local Government area for falling short of set standards.
But the Monitoring Team of the Ministry of Health barely a week after the sanction discovered that the Proprietor of Deevhine Clinic and Maternity Home, located in Papalanto axis of Ewekoro, had broken the government seal and resumed operations.
In a statement by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, the maternity home was not duly registered and it lacked qualified medical personnel, noting that the audacious move of the Proprietor to remove government seal and resume operation forced the Ministry to initiate legal actions against her.
Coker said the case is being handled by Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) of the Ogun State Ministry of Justice, adding that monitoring of private medical facilities would be scaled up in the new year to unearth fake practitioners and facilities that are operating without government approval or below the set standard.
“This administration had so far endeavored to be alive to its responsibility of making quality health care accessible to every resident of the State. Although, we consider the various categories of private practitioners as our partners in this regard, the onus is on us to regulate their operations. This is to prevent loss of lives from the operations of quacks.
“Henceforth, the State will monitor owners of private health facilities and ensure they follow the global best health care standard. They must obtain necessary approval before they can operate in the Ogun State,” she said.
The Commissioner added that the government would no longer tolerate the illegal activities of medical quackery in the State, expressing her optimism that the prosecution of those found wanting would serve as a deterrent to others.
She advised that anyone intending to operate a health facility should go through the standard procedures of the State Government.
