Rivers Shuts 21 Health Facilities Over Registration, Safety Violations

The Rivers State Ministry of Health has shut down 21 health facilities across four local government areas for allegedly operating without registration or failing to meet the state’s minimum healthcare standards.

The affected facilities include eight hospitals, five maternity centres and eight diagnostic centres located in Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor, Ikwerre and Etche Local Government Areas.

The ministry said 19 of the facilities were unregistered and operating below the required standards. It added that one registered facility was also closed after inspectors found that no licensed doctor or nurse was present during a random inspection.

The enforcement exercise also resulted in the arrest of three people over alleged offences uncovered during the ministry’s third-quarter inspection and enforcement operation.

The ministry said the exercise followed surveillance reports indicating that more than 150 health facilities across the state were operating without registration and supervision. It also disclosed that only about 20 per cent of registered facilities were complying with mandatory annual inspections and renewing their certificates of standards.

One of the facilities sealed was Manda Clinic and Maternity in Elelenwo. The ministry said the facility was shut in collaboration with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, over suspected child-trafficking activities.

According to the ministry, a Liberian national reportedly disclosed that three children had been procured from the facility within a month. Inspectors also allegedly found that the facility was unregistered and operating without licensed medical practitioners. Its operators were arrested by NAPTIP as investigations continued.

Havilla Hospital in Igwuruta was also shut after its operator, identified as Isaac, was allegedly found running an unregistered facility without a licence from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria. The ministry said he claimed to have undergone medical training in Ukraine and was arrested for referral to the MDCN.

Another operator, Sunday Ogundele of Ola Oluwa Medical Centre in Igwuruta, was arrested and handed over to the police for alleged impersonation after inspectors reportedly found that he had no medical training or professional licence.

Kambel Hospital in Abara-Etche and Golden Era Hospital in Igwuruta were also closed after the ministry said neither facility had a licensed doctor or nurse available to provide care.

The ministry also inspected Sarah Maternity in Belema Polo, Enugu Waterside, operated by a traditional birth attendant with a significant social media following. Officials said the facility reportedly had more than 1,000 women registered as patients and received over 200 women daily. It was not shut down, but its operator was issued a warning and the facility was designated as a contact point for supervision, training and practice guidance for traditional birth attendants and maternity centres.

Speaking in Port Harcourt on Monday, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and chairman of the State Anti-Quackery Committee, Dr Vincent Wachukwu, said the enforcement campaign was aimed at protecting residents from unsafe healthcare practices.

Wachukwu urged registered facilities to display valid Certificates of Standards and advised residents to verify the registration and certification of healthcare providers before seeking treatment. He also encouraged the public to report suspected unprofessional or unsafe medical practices to the ministry.

The ministry said enforcement against facilities that fail to undergo annual inspections and renew their certificates of minimum standards would continue throughout 2026. It thanked the police, NSCDC, NAPTIP, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Medical Association and other professional bodies for supporting the exercise.