Cross River State government has sealed Ben Damare Clinic and Maternity at Ekori community in Yakurr Local Council of the state, declaring it unfit for delivery of health services.
The coordinator of the state’s taskforce on Health Quality and Anti-Quackery, Dr Dan Abubakar, said the closure became necessary after confirming from the state’s Ministry of Health that the clinic was not on the list of registered facilities.
Abubakar said the taskforce alongside a team of policemen from Ekori Police Station carried out the operation after the community raised the alarm of increasing maternal and infant mortality rates in the clinic.
He pointed out that even the most cursory look at the clinic’s set-up shows it is substandard, disclosing that his taskforce has resolved to rid Cross River State health sector of quacks and their merchandise.
He maintained that medical practice in the state must be done in strict compliance with laid down rules and regulations.
The clinic’s proprietor, Dr Olisa Obi, claimed he graduated from the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) and had worked with a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) in Ebonyi State.
Obi promised to provide available documents to prove his facility was duly registered to deliver health services.
On the spate of maternal and infant deaths in the facility, he cited complications as the major reason for the occurrences, adding that in such situations, regrettable as they seem, death could occur.
The clinic owner and his manager were both detained by the Police at Ekori for further investigation and arraignment before the court for possible prosecution.
