The Cross River State Task Force on Health Quality and Anti-Quackery has shut down Safe Hand’s Maternity Clinic in Calabar Municipality following allegations that a patient died after undergoing surgery at the facility.
The enforcement team, led by its chairman, Dr. Dan Abubakar, carried out an unscheduled inspection of the clinic at No. 21 Iyata Street after receiving a complaint from relatives of the deceased patient.
Investigations revealed that the facility, owned by Mrs. Inyang Ekeng, a Community Health Extension Officer, was operating from a three-bedroom apartment that had been converted into a six-bed maternity clinic.
According to the task force, the clinic lacked the required operational licence and did not have the qualified personnel or basic medical infrastructure expected of a maternity hospital. Officials also discovered that the facility was functioning beyond its approved scope by admitting patients with serious medical conditions, including an abandoned stroke patient.
The committee further found that surgical procedures were allegedly being carried out by Dr. Sunday Abeng, a registrar at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), despite what it described as the clinic’s poorly equipped and substandard environment.
The task force cited several violations that led to the closure of the facility, including the absence of operational permits, inadequate consulting rooms, poor ventilation, lack of patient records and staff documentation, no theatre register for surgeries performed, unhygienic conditions, poor waste management practices, and the engagement of unqualified personnel.
Reacting to the findings, Dr. Abubakar described the clinic as a potential danger to public health, expressing concern over conditions that could put the lives of unsuspecting residents at risk.
He stated that the Cross River State Government, in line with the healthcare vision of Governor **Senator Bassey Otu**, would not allow illegal and substandard medical facilities to continue operating.
According to him, the government is investing in the renovation and construction of modern healthcare centres across the state and urged residents to seek treatment only from approved and accredited health facilities.
He also warned that patronising unlicensed clinics exposes patients to serious health risks due to the poor and unsafe conditions under which many operate.
The clinic has been sealed, while the owner and the doctor involved have been given seven days to evacuate all admitted patients.
Dr. Abubakar said the action demonstrates the state’s commitment to protecting lives and ensuring that healthcare services are delivered only through properly registered and qualified medical institutions.