A 32-year-old man, Oladiti Saheed, who has been parading himself as a doctor in Ororuwo, Boripe Local Government Area of Osun State, has been arrested after the death of a pregnant woman he delivered of a baby.
Saheed, who was arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has reportedly been parading himself as a medical doctor for the past six years without the requisite qualifications.
NSSDC’s State Commandant, Dr Akintayo Adaralewa, who paraded the suspect on Thursday in Osogbo, told journalists that Saheed’s highest qualification is a Secondary School Certificate.
Adaralewa told journalists that the deceased ,who was nine months and three weeks pregnant, visited the suspect’s hospital located at No. 2, Ororuwo town, in Boripe Local Government Area on April 15.
The NSCDC boss noted that the suspect, in his confessional statement, said that the pregnant woman visited his hospital because she could not continue ante-natal at her previous hospital due to misunderstanding with her husband.
He said that the suspect attended to the victim and told her to come back when she start feeling signs of labour.
“On April 18, the victim fell into labour and was taken to the hospital of the suspect where she was delivered of a baby.
“The victim thereafter developed complications and was later rushed to a nearby hospital; painfully, she was pronounced dead on arrival,” he said.
Adaralewa said that discreet investigation revealed that the suspect also engaged in the training of people to become quack doctor with the payment of N5,000.
He said that the self acclaimed doctor is not registered with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and “did not employ the service of registered medical personnel to work in the so- called hospital.”
He said that the suspect would face the full wrath of the law upon the conclusion of investigations.
The suspect, on his part, said he had attended to many pregnant women in the past six years, adding that he was trained by a quack doctor.
He also admitted that he had other six unqualified staff working with him and that he usually charge N30,000 per delivery.
The Chairman of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Osun State, Dr Adedapo Adetoye, said that it is pathetic that there are still many quack doctors operating in Nigeria.
Adetoye, who was represented by the NMA treasurer, Dr Ayodeji Ogungbemi, commended the NSCDC for the arrest.
“Quackery is a stain on the integrity of doctors and the health sector not only in the Osun but in the country at large.
“The suspect is a secondary school holder, who has been practicing for more than six years and only God knows how many lives that have been lost in the hospital,” he said.
Ogungbemi said the national body of the association is trying everything possible to stamp out quackery in the profession.
He said the national body had rolled out a stamp, which only qualified doctors could have.
He urged the public to always ask for the registration number of any hospital they visit, to distinguish fake from qualified doctor.
– NAN
