Cross River shuts illegal maternity clinic over patient’s death

The Cross River State Government on Monday sealed the Safe Hand’s Maternity Clinic in Calabar Municipality of the state, following the reported death of a patient after surgery. The facility was completely shut down by the State Task Force on Health Quality and Anti-Quackery after investigations revealed multiple violations of healthcare regulations, including performing surgical procedures in a substandard environment and operating the facility without the requisite approvals. Chairman of the task force, Dr. Dan Abubakar, while speaking during inspection, expressed deep concern over the conditions observed at the facility, describing it as a serious threat to public health and safety. He said, “What we found here is completely unacceptable. Facilities operating under these conditions are potential death traps and have no place in a healthcare system that prioritises patient safety and quality service delivery.” He explained that the team paid an unscheduled inspection of the facility based on a petition linking the clinic to the death of a patient who reportedly underwent surgery at the centre located at No. 21 Iyata Street, Calabar, adding that the inspection uncovered alarming breaches of professional and operational standards. He noted that the clinic, owned by Mrs. Inyang Ekeng, a Community Health Extension Officer, was operating from a converted three-bedroom apartment that had been transformed into a six-bed maternity ward, with no licensed nurses on staff. Abubakar revealed that surgical procedures were being carried out by Dr. Sunday Abeng, a registrar with the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), describing the environment as poorly equipped and unsuitable for such medical interventions. Related News PRP clears Donald Duke as presidential candidate, others for 2027 elections Group plants 100 trees in UNICAL, seeks stronger environmental protection C’River woman bags eight years jail for operating unregistered pharmacies “We found a clinic owned by Mrs. Inyang Ekeng, a Community Health Extension Officer operating from a converted three-bedroom apartment that had been transformed into a six-bed maternity ward without any licensed nurses on its staff and surgical procedures were being carried out by Dr. Sunday Abeng, a registrar with the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital. Such an environment is poorly equipped and unsuitable for such medical interventions”, he lamented. He further stated that the task force also discovered that the facility was operating beyond its approved scope of practice and had admitted an abandoned stroke pa