By Uzair Adam
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has ordered a full crackdown on unregistered hospitals and quack medical personnel operating within the territory.
The minister’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, following the death of a pregnant woman at a private facility in Durumi, Abuja, after undergoing a caesarean section.
According to the statement, Wike warned that anyone found operating an illegal health facility or working in an unregistered hospital would be arrested and prosecuted.
He described the incident as regrettable, especially given that vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, are eligible for free registration under the Federal Capital Territory Health Insurance Scheme (FHIS).
He noted that despite this opportunity, many pregnant women were still patronising unlicensed and unsafe facilities.
“In the FCT, vulnerable persons, including pregnant women, enjoy free enrollment into the FHIS, granting them free access to services covered under the basic minimum health package through primary healthcare centres,” he said.
Olayinka added that, in support of the federal government’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ and the FCT Administration’s zero tolerance for maternal mortality, several hospitals—including Gwarinpa, Nyanya, Abaji, and Kuje General Hospitals—have been designated as comprehensive emergency obstetric and neonatal care centres, offering free cesarean sections.
He urged pregnant women to utilise these government services instead of risking their lives by seeking care from quacks and unregistered facilities.
The statement also recalled that on Friday, 35-year-old Chekwube Chinagorom was brought dead to the Asokoro District Hospital after a caesarean section at the unregistered facility in Durumi.
Although the baby survived and was referred for further care at the Asokoro hospital, the incident raised alarm over the activities of illegal operators.
The Private Health Establishments Registration and Monitoring Committee (PHERMC) investigated and confirmed that the hospital was unregistered.
Only one staff member, Mr. Simon Godiya, a junior community health extension worker, was found on duty during an inspection.
Godiya informed officials that Murtala Jumma performed the surgery alongside another unidentified person. Efforts to reach Jumma have so far been unsuccessful.
The PHERMC team, accompanied by police officers from the Durumi Divisional Headquarters, subsequently handed over the case to the police for further investigation.