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Tag: Quack doctor

  • Police arrest quack doctor

    The police yesterday paraded a primary school dropout, Abdulrahman Mohammed, 39, for allegedly practising as a medical doctor for four years.

    Mohammed, the police alleged, owned a clinic at Idi-Araba in Mushin,  Lagos mainland, where he administered intravenous injections to patients. He also collected blood and urine samples for diagnosis.

    But the suspect denied the allegations, insisting that he only owned a chemist shop, where he sold drugs to people.

    Mohammed said he also gave people painkillers and blood capsules whenever they complained of headache, fever or cold.

    Police Commissioner Imohimi Edgal said Mohammed confessed that he usually bought the drugs from Idumota, Lagos Island, adding that the command would soon embark on clampdown of all unregistered drug stores.

    Edgal said: “Detectives from the Area ‘D’ Command, Mushin, arrested Abdulrahman Mohammed, a native of Ran Village in Gamboru Ngala Local Government Area of Borno State for operating as a medical doctor at 3, Bamishile Street, Idi-Araba, whereas his education stopped at primary school level.

    “Further investigation into the activities of Abdulrahman Mohammed, who has been impersonating as a medical doctor for the past four years, revealed that he had been administrating intravenous injections, conducting medical test on his patients and taking urine and blood samples from his patients. He is cooperating with the police and we are working with him to ensure all unregistered drug stores are clamped down.”

    According to Mohammed, the thermometer and other medical gadgets found in his shop were used by patients, who he claimed, usually used it themselves.

    He said: “I was a hawker. I was hawking drugs before I decided to open a pharmacy. I did not finish my primary school and I was not taught to sell the drugs. My pharmacy was not licensed. I do not treat people. I do not collect blood or urine samples.

    “I only sell the kits and people come to buy it. For the thermometer, people used to come and check their temperature and other things by themselves. If someone comes and complains of headache and fever, I give them Panadol or Boscopan and blood tonic.”

  • Quack doctor ‘sexually abuses’ patient

    Quack doctor ‘sexually abuses’ patient

    A MAN, Patrick Azubuike Uzoka, has been arraigned before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly parading himself as a doctor and sexually assaulting a patient.

    Uzoka, 27, is standing trial before Chief Magistrate O.A Layinka on a three-count charge of unlawful sexual assault, unlawful administration of drug and impersonation.

    The prosecutor, Edet Okoi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said Uzoka committed the offence last August 19 at about 2:00pm at 22, Ajanlekoko Street, Kirikiri Town, Lagos.

    Okoi said the defendant unlawfully assaulted a patient, Etim Okon Utibe, 22, in her residence through unlawful penetration.

    According to him, the accused unlawfully administered noxious substance on Utibe, thereby endangering her life.

    Okoi said: ‘’Uzoka presented himself as a medical practitioner and administered injections and other medications on Utibe, an undergraduate, who complained of stomach ache and was introduced to her by her parent who also thought he was a doctor.

    “On the said day, Uzoka came to administer treatment on the victim who was in the company of her friend, Sarah and he allegedly gave her an injection and she started feeling dizzy with hot sensation in her body.

    “She complained to the doctor and he gave her another injection which he claimed will calm her down. He thereafter sent her friend Sarah to get a drug for her with the claim that it is urgent.

    “Immediately Sarah left, he told Utibe that he has to urgently give her ‘seminal donation’ because the injection he gave her earlier has started affecting her womb.

    “He held Utibe’s hand and forcefully had sex with her and he didn’t stop until her friend came knocking and he quickly put her in a sitting position.

    ‘’The victim could not fight back because she was feeling dizzy and weak”, he said.

    Chief Magistrate Layinka granted the accused bail N100, 000, with two sureties.

    The magistrate directed the sureties to provide evidence of three years’ tax payment to the  government. The case continues on February 5.

  • Quack doctor held as hospital is shut

    Lagos State Government yesterday sealed off the Empire Medical Centre in Ikorodu and arrested its owner, Mr Onumoh Eleazer, for alleged quackery.
    Commissioner for Health Dr Jide Idris, said the closure was in continuation of the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency’s cleansing of the sector.
    Idris berated health care providers for recruiting auxiliary nurses and unqualified personnel who endanger the lives of patients who patronise them.
    Some of the so-called trained auxiliary nurses and unqualified assistants, he said, have gone to establish their own outfits as ‘professionals’ and in turn breed other quacks.
    Such a trend, the commissioner said, could lead to consequences for the health sector if not addressed.
    “Lagos State Government is strongly determined to put a halt to this ugly trend of having unqualified personnel work in health facilities, be it private or public. We as a government will continue to insist that the environment for the dispensation of medical care should be suitable for the promotion and maintenance of good health and we will ensure that”, Idris said.
    He said there was no hiding place for quacks to practice in the state as they will be fished out.
    The ministry, he said, was investigating the activities of some other health care operators suspected to be engaged in quackery, adding that they will be prosecuted if found liable.
    Idris cautioned registered health facilities who go beyond their schedule, saying a situation where a health facility registered as a maternity home exceeds its mandates would not be tolerated.
    The commissioner urged the public not to patronise any health facility without the agency’s logo and to channel complaints of professional misconduct by health care providers to Room 514 Ministry of Health, Alausa, Ikeja.
    Special Adviser to the Governor on Primary Health Care Dr Olufemi Onanuga said the ministry swooped on the facility following public complaints.
    The proprietor, he said, performed surgery procedures on patients without a certificate and practicing license.
    Onanuga said the proprietor had just operated on three of the seven patients admitted in his facility before his arrest.
    All patients found there, he said, had been transferred to the Ikorodu General Hospital.
    Eleazer, who claimed to have studied Medicine in the Dominican Republic but could not collect his certificate for financial reasons, said he ‘trained’ under Dr. Godwin Kanu, a retired consultant traumatologist and orthopaedist for 14 years after his return to the country.
    Idris said Eleazer would face Justice.

  • Bayelsa: Police arrest man for aborting pregnancy of minor 

    Bayelsa: Police arrest man for aborting pregnancy of minor 

    The ‘quack doctor ‘ who allegedly aborted the four-month pregnancy of 12-year-old Bayelsa State girl, identified simply as Queen, has been arrested by the police.

    The minor was allegedly raped serially and impregnated by her father, Bamekpa Ademe, who is currently being held at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Bayelsa police command.

    The police later launched manhunt on the man who crudely aborted the minor’s pregnancy under the instruction of Bamekpa.

    The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Asinim Butswat, Friday, identified the arrested quack doctor as Mr. Fredrick Osai, who is 38 years old.

    Butswat said Osai was arrested at his community in Otiokpoti, Ogbia Local Government Area, Bayelsa State.

    The abused teenager earlier said her life became more traumatic when her father commenced the process of aborting the pregnancy.

    She said the method was crude and opened a chapter of health problems in her life.

    She said: “My father after knowing I was pregnant took me to do an abortion. He took me to Elebele and handed me over to his female friend called Peace. Peace then took me to Otu-Aba. The place was an ordinary house.

    “They didn’t allow me see the process but I saw the instruments. It was very painful. After that day, I started bleeding because he didn’t abort the pregnancy completely. I was taken back to Otu-Aba on December 5 and from there we went to Otu-Asiga to flush the remaining one.

    “I discovered later that my body system had been messed up. I noticed I was no longer menstruating. It was just recently that I was taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) where an operation was done on me with something like a container inserted into me. They called it a minor operation. I went back to remove the container”.

    Having arrested Osai, the PPRO said the attention of the police was focused on apprehending Peace who took the minor to Osai for the abortion.

    But the teenager’s nephew David Apigi, said unknown to the police commissioner, some members of the team in charge of the case were demanding money from the victim’s family to effect the arrest.

    He said such persons even threatened to dismiss the matter and release the suspects if the victim’s family failed to give them money to conclude their investigations.

    He said: “The first time we met with the Commissioner of Police, we told him that the policemen in charge of the case were complaining of lack of logistics. He promised to make logistics available to the team.

    “I learnt that they collected money from our people before undertaking the mission to arrest the doctor. They are now asking us to bring N20, 000 to enable them go and arrest the lady. They even threatened to leave the matter and release the suspects if we failed to bring the money.

    “Now, there is a rumour in our community that the suspect has been asked to bring N400, 000 for the case to be quashed. We are asking the commissioner to monitor what some of the persons handling this matter is doing”.

    Butswat, however, said the police were fully committed in getting to the root of the matter adding that all the persons involved in the case would be arrested.

    He said: “We are still investigating and we will surely arrest the lady. The command is taking the matter seriously and we have achieved a lot within a short period. We will arrest everybody involved and charge them to court.”

    Meanwhile there is jubilation in the Imiringi community, Ogbia, following the arrest of Bamekpa. Apigi said people were happy that the alleged randy man had finally bitten more than he could chew.

    “Many people are happy that the law has finally caught up with Bamekpa. They are begging the police to diligently prosecute the matter and ensure that justice is done. They are saluting our courage because we stood our ground to challenge him.

    “We are also happy that the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police have shown interest in the matter,” he said.