A suspected fake doctor has been arrested in Rivers State after he was allegedly caught attempting to perform goitre surgery on a patient at an illegal medical facility in Port Harcourt.
The suspect, identified as Ataisi Jephtha, was arrested alongside a woman, Mgboawaji Edwin, during an enforcement operation by the Rivers State Ministry of Health at an unregistered health facility operating inside a residential compound at No. 27 Victoria Street, Port Harcourt.
The operation reportedly uncovered the facility while the suspects were allegedly attending to a patient undergoing a thyroidectomy, a delicate surgical procedure involving the partial or complete removal of the thyroid gland.
According to the state Ministry of Health, Jephtha had allegedly been posing as a trained surgeon despite lacking the required professional credentials.
The two suspects were arrested, while the premises were immediately sealed by the enforcement team.
The incident formed part of the ministry’s October inspection and enforcement exercise, which resulted in the arrest of four people over alleged medical quackery, impersonation and the operation of unregistered health facilities.
The ministry also shut down eight health facilities, comprising five hospitals and two diagnostic laboratory centres, over alleged failure to meet required operating standards or obtain the necessary registration.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Vincent Wachukwu, warned that healthcare practitioners found operating with unregistered or substandard facilities could face disciplinary action under the regulations of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.
The state government reiterated its commitment to clamping down on medical quackery and protecting residents from dangerous procedures carried out by unqualified practitioners.
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