Fake doctors arrested in Ogoja Cross River State

Fake surgeons who have been performing surgeries in Ogoja Local Government Area in Cross River State have been arrested by law enforcement agents following a tip-off concerning their nefarious activities in Aladim Community in Ogoja LGA.

The information was disclosed at a news conference by Dr. David Ushie, the Special Adviser to Governor Ben Ayade on health matters and Chairman of the Cross River State Task Force on Quackery and Related Violations in the healthcare delivery in Calabar.

Ushie said the operation was made possible through the corroborative efforts of the Council Chairman. Hon. Emmanuel Ishabor and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the Ogoja Area Command, Supol Manifuro Horsfall both confirmed the incident when the task force was taken to the health centre at Aladim where the crime was allegedly committed with 10 patients on admission and Nine had surgeries.

The fake doctors and 13 healthcare facilities have been closed down on account of multiple violations of the laws regulating the practice of medicine in the country. The culprits are now in police custody though some have gone underground and are being trailed by the task force.

A profile of the patients that had operations revealed that three had a hernia and seven appendectomies while one had surgery for an appendix as some surgeries on others were clearly recognizable to be superficial skin cuts, giving patients the false sense that they had surgeries while the patients have been moved to Ogoja General Hospital for proper treatment.

By: Archibong Emmanuel
(Snr. Reporter)