Commissioner for Health Dr Afam Obidike told journalists in Awka that the arrest followed investigations as part of the state’s campaign against quackery and illegal medical practice.
During an inspection of the facility, conducted alongside Anambra East LGA Chairman Ifeanyi Chinweze and security personnel, officials recovered surgical instruments and other medical equipment allegedly used for unauthorised procedures.
They also discovered what appeared to be a shrine and an altar inside the facility. Obidike said Charles admitted during interrogation that she had been carrying out caesarean sections, normal deliveries and other surgical procedures without required qualifications.
The facility has been linked to reported medical complications and fatalities. The facility has been confiscated and the suspect will be arraigned in court.
Key Points:
Expectant mothers in Umueri and surrounding communities were exposed to life-threatening risks.
Quack medical practice imposes hidden costs on families through complications and fatalities.
Patients lost while unqualified operators profited from dangerous, unauthorised procedures.
Arrest signals state government’s intensified enforcement against health sector quackery.
Discovery of shrine within facility raises concerns about ritual undertones in illegal practice.
The prosecution of Charles will test the government’s resolve to sanitise the health sector, while surveillance operations may uncover more illegal facilities.
