Benue seals hospital over unsafe medical practices
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The Benue State Government has sealed St. John’s Hospital in the Otukpo area over alleged substandard medical practices, including a reported case in which both breasts of a patient were removed on November 25 without adherence to clinical guidelines.
The state Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Paul Ogwuche, confirmed the action to our correspondent on Saturday, saying the facility was shut down for “not adherence to established clinical guidelines.”
He said the ministry had been monitoring the hospital after receiving reports of malpractice, before dispatching an enforcement team on Friday.
The team was led by the Director of Medical Services, Dr Agbadu Joshua, with support from the Chairman of the Anti-Quackery Committee of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr Alex Iorbo, as well as Desk Officers for Otukpo and Gboko LGAs, who were already on routine field monitoring in the area.
Ogwuche said, “This is part of the state government’s intensified campaign against quackery and substandard medical practice.
“During the inspection of St. John’s Hospital Otukpo, the team found the facility operating in a substandard and unsafe environment and also failing to follow approved treatment protocols.
The malpractices included a reported case of the removal of both breasts of a patient allegedly carried out on the 25th of November without adherence to established clinical guidelines.”
He added that the hospital was “immediately sealed,” and the Medical Superintendent had been issued a formal query and directed to report to the ministry for further investigation on Monday.
Ogwuche reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to protecting residents, stressing that the government would continue to pursue safe, ethical and high-quality healthcare across the state.
He warned that the government “will not hesitate to take firm action against any facility found endangering patient lives,” and urged all healthcare workers to maintain strict professional standards or face consequences.
The shutdown follows an earlier closure of St. Peter and Paul Community Health Centre and Maternity in Lessel, Ushongo LGA over what authorities described as gross professional misconduct — a move that underscores the state’s ongoing efforts to sanitise the health sector.
