The Anambra State Government has intensified its crackdown on illegal medical practice with the arrest of a 47-year-old woman, Mrs. Onyinyechi Esther Charles, for allegedly performing surgical procedures without the required medical qualifications.
Mrs. Charles, an Abia State indigene married to a native of Nteje, reportedly operated a traditional birth attendant (TBA) facility in Umueri, Anambra East Local Government Area, where she allegedly carried out caesarean sections, normal deliveries and other surgical procedures. The facility has also been linked to reported cases of medical complications and fatalities.
According to the Ministry of Health, the arrest followed investigations ordered by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike, as part of the state government’s ongoing campaign to eliminate quackery and safeguard public health.
The ministry said the suspect allegedly admitted during interrogation to carrying out surgeries without the required professional qualifications or authorization. She was also said to have previously been known as Eze Nwanyi before becoming a church minister and presenting herself as a surgeon.
During an inspection of the facility, Dr. Obidike, accompanied by the Mayor of Anambra East Local Government Area, Hon. Ifeanyi Chinweze, and security personnel, recovered surgical instruments, hospital beds and other medical equipment allegedly used for the unauthorized procedures. Officials also discovered what appeared to be a shrine and an altar within the premises.
The state government has confiscated the facility pending the outcome of legal proceedings, while the suspect is expected to be arraigned before a competent court.
Speaking during the inspection, Dr. Obidike described the discovery as a serious threat to public health, warning that the Soludo administration would not tolerate unqualified individuals endangering the lives of residents under the guise of providing healthcare.
He urged expectant mothers and members of the public to seek treatment only from government-approved hospitals and licensed healthcare providers, assuring that surveillance and enforcement operations against illegal medical practitioners would continue across the state.
Also speaking, the Mayor of Anambra East, Hon. Ifeanyi Chinweze, commended the Ministry of Health and security agencies for exposing the alleged illegal medical operation and urged residents to report unlicensed health facilities to the appropriate authorities.
