By Godfrey Gabriel

The Rivers State Ministry of Health has arrested four persons over alleged medical quackery, impersonation and the performance of thyroidectomy on an unsuspecting patient, among other offences.

A thyroidectomy is a delicate surgical procedure involving the partial or total removal of the thyroid gland.

The ministry’s enforcement team also shut down eight health facilities during its October inspection exercise.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr Vincent Wachukwu, disclosed this, noting that the exercise was part of efforts to curb medical quackery and ensure compliance with healthcare standards in the state.

Among the facilities uncovered was an unregistered health outfit operating covertly inside a residential compound at No. 27 Victoria Street, Port Harcourt. During the raid, enforcement officers intercepted two suspects—identified as Mr. Ataisi Jephtha and Mrs. Mgboawaji Edwin—as they were allegedly.

Jephtha had purportedly been posing as a trained surgeon. Both suspects were arrested on the spot, and the residence was promptly sealed.

In addition to the residential facility, officials shut down five other hospitals and two diagnostic laboratory centres for failing to meet basic operational guidelines and operating without mandatory official registration.

Warning against professional misconduct, Dr. Wachukwu stressed that licensed medical practitioners found colluding with or operating from unregistered and substandard facilities would face strict disciplinary action in accordance with the regulations of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).

He reassured members of the public of the state government’s resolve to enforce health regulations rigorously and safeguard residents from predatory practices.

The ministry further cautioned all healthcare operators across the state to adhere strictly to registration requirements and minimum standard protocols or face immediate sanctions.