Posted by By BONIFACE NZAMA Calabar on
The day of judgment, appears to have come for fake medical doctors in Cross River State, whose private hospitals are said to have become slaughter slabs for unsuspecting patients, especially pregnant women.
The day of judgment, appears to have come for fake medical doctors in Cross River State, whose private hospitals are said to have become slaughter slabs for unsuspecting patients, especially pregnant women.
Against the backdrop of high incident of maternal death in some of the private hospitals in recent times, Governor Donald Duke has taken measures to check the activities of private hospitals, as reports have it that even nurses are setting up private clinics in rural communities, carrying out caesarean and other surgical operations.
Following the report of the panel of the enquiry into recent deaths in some private hospitals, Duke has directed the Ministry of Health to charge two medical doctors in the state to court for manslaughter.
The affected doctors who were made known to the people of the state, in a broadcast by Governor Duke, included Dr. Mabel Ekok of Belma private hospital, and Dr Effiok Eyo Effiok, the director of Amanda Jarvis clinic in Calabar.
Dr. Ekok has been accused of manslaughter, for allegedly killing one of the commissioners with the state local government commission, Mrs. Una Divine Edim, who died at the Belma Clinic as a result of an alleged unsuccessful caesarean operation.
Mrs. Edim, who graduated from the University of Calabar, with a Bachelors Degree in Education, was appointed a commissioner in the local government service commission in July, 2004.
The former commissioner died in the cause of delivery on October 6, 2004 leaving behind two sons to mourn her death.
On Dr Effiok, the director of Amanda Jarvis Clinic, Duke said he was indicted by the report of the panel for allegedly being responsible for the death of Mrs. Obongha Esu, also as a result of an alleged unsuccessful caesarean operation.
According to the report of the panel, Duke said the death of the two women was 'principally due to either the incompetence or negligence of the medical doctors or other staff of the clinics who handled the patients, or because the clinics were ill - equipped to handle the patients".
At an emergency meeting held at the governor's office to look into the report of the panel, the state executive council noted that Dr. Effiok, although a registrar in obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, had not acquired the professional license for independent specialist practice.
While Dr. Effiok's private hospital was said to be ill-equipped, the report accused him of diverting patients from more equipped and better staffed public hospitals, like the Teaching Hospital to his private clinic, causing the untimely death of some patients.
Apart from the two women, the report alleged that several other unsuspecting women have lost their lives in similar circumstances in the affected private hospitals.
Governor Duke also indicted the Director of Medical Services, Dr. Esu Eyo Ita for not monitoring the performance of private clinics in the state, directing that he should be retired from the service.
On Dr. Ekot and Dr. Effiok, the governor said they 'should no longer be allowed to undertake medical practice in Cross River State".