News84-Year-Old Fake Surgeon, Others Arrested In C'River, Illegal Medical Centres, Laboratories...

84-Year-Old Fake Surgeon, Others Arrested In C’River, Illegal Medical Centres, Laboratories Shut

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January 08, (THEWILL) – An 84-year-old fake Surgeon, Simon Okuta Agba, has been arrested by officials of the Cross River State Health taskforce against quackery.

Simon was apprehended on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, after officials of the agency raided his clinic called Life First Clinic in Ukpah, Bekwarra Local Government Area of the state.

Dr. David Ushie, the Special Adviser to the Cross River State Governor on Health and Chairman of the State taskforce, disclosed this in Calabar.

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He said the fake clinic was raided following reports of suspicious deaths, maiming and defrauding members of the Public of their money through a ridiculous surgery price regime, which Simon and his team have been adopting to lure their victims.

Dr Ushie also added that the task force closed down 5 facilities and arrested 7 persons from Yala, Ogoja and Bekwarra.

In Yala, one Rosemary Irima, who owned and operated Devine Favour Clinic and Maternity, had her facility sealed and practice items confiscated by the task force.

In Abakpa and Igoli, in Ogoja, 3 persons were arrested for Hawking or selling so-called Islamic herbal products that make claims to cure all manner of diseases.

A patient at the Illegal Life First Clinic Upah, Bekwarra LGA

The medications have no NAFDAC safety certifications and they show no credible manufacturer’s information. Those arrested over this are Michael Chia and Michael Ani, (both now charged in court) and one Rabiu, whose shop was sealed by task force along Audu street by Mission road.

Giving more details on the 84-year-old fake Surgeon, Dr. Ushie said “Simon Okuta Agba, an elderly man said to be 84 years old, has been running this unregistered facility under several names, currently called Life First Clinic.

“Mr. Simon has been running this facility by providing “cheap” costing for Surgical Operations and nearly everyone who goes there with medical complaints always has to have surgery.

‘On this tour, we met a total of 12 patients on admission, out of this, 11 of them have had surgeries carried out within 4 days from 31st of December, 2022.

“The only one who didn’t have surgery was the one who came a few hours before we arrived and he was already booked by Mr. Simon Okuta, for surgery. So, if we did not go there, he was going to operate on this man after the surgery, which he was handling before we arrived at his premises.

“We met him conducting surgery on two patients, one a hernia and the other, appendix. These are the diagnosis that he assigns to nearly every patient even as the patients never really get the purported surgery since they adopt skin cuts with suturing while their patients are undanaesthesiasia. The patients wake in the false belief that they had surgery.

“Mr. Simon employed other quacks, who run sections in his hospital called laboratory, who are not laboratory scientists.

“He has sections where they conduct ultrasound scans and the people are not radiographers, not even radiologists.

“He has nurses, who are not trained, he gives anaesthesia by himself, and sundry activities that all take place in a very unhygienic facility,” he said.

He added that during the raid they observed heartbreaking professional violations, for instance, “Every patient keeps their used injection syringe and needle by their bedsides. When they were asked about the presence of a used syringe and needle on their beds, each patient says, ‘the doctors use those syringes and needle when they give me my injection’.

“It is very sad to know that Mr. Simon transfuses blood, nobody knows how he Cross matches blood, he has no pathologist or doctor that does the confirmation of the safety of this blood,” he said.

Dr Ushie also disclosed that Mr. Simon has “baggage of complaints directed against his practice to the State Government and it became very important that, as a responsible government, we responded to keep faith with the many complainants.”

He said investigations show that Dr Ushie further disclosed that thus far, investigations show that Mr. Simon “is not a doctor and has never gone to a medical school to train as health personnel, he has no license, has no certificate, and the same is the case with all the staff that work with him. Life First Clinic, Ukpah is also not registered with the Cross River State Ministry of Health as a health service provider.

“He simply mobilised family and friends or any idle person around and assigned them clinical duties,” he said.

Dr Ushie added that the culprit and others arrested alongside him have been arraigned in court by the Department of Public Prosecution in Ogoja.

The Cross River State Medical task force was set up in September 2020, to address the absence of Health facilities inspections and accreditations activities.

The task force operates as an anti-quackery task force, policing the entire Cross River State to ensure that those who practice medicine in Cross River do not harm the people. They monitor both the registered professionals and also identify charlatans, who must be removed.

About the Author

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THEWILL Correspondent, Aniekan Bassey has over six years experience that spans across several fields in print journalism including development communication, sexual reproductive and health rights issues, crime, climate change, social justice, business and human interest stories.

Bassey Aniekan, THEWILLhttps://thewillnews.com
THEWILL Correspondent, Aniekan Bassey has over six years experience that spans across several fields in print journalism including development communication, sexual reproductive and health rights issues, crime, climate change, social justice, business and human interest stories.

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