The Lagos State Police Command on Friday announced the arrest of two fake medical doctors, who allegedly carried out more than 80 babies’ delivery within two years.
One of them is the owner of the hospital.
The Chief Medical Director, who is the owner of the hospital, is a Ghana-based newspaper vendor.
He has been identified as Gabriel Onyema.
Lagos State Police Command spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, said the Area E Police Command, Festac Town, got information about the illegal operation of the unregistered hospital, Cares Hospital, located at 1B, Omotoba Street, Unity Estate, Iba, Lagos and embarked on an investigation.
Briade said that investigation carried out revealed that about 200 babies were delivered in the last two years that the hospital has been in existence.
Braide further said that all the workers in the hospital were non-trained medical personnel, stressing that one Auxiliary Nurse in the hospital acted as gynaecologist.
One of the fake doctors, Stephen Nwankwo, 40, from Ebonyi State, confessed that the hospital carried out caesarean operation on a woman, who laboured for about eight hours, where they had to pull the baby out through the virgina with hands when the delivery was delayed.
Nwankwo also said that they also administered unscreened blood on a pregnant woman in labour in June 12, but the woman later died.
He claimed to be an auxiliary nurse, who had worked in Ondo State, before coming to join the hospital about two years ago.
The owner of the hospital, Gabriel Onyema, 39, from Imo State, claimed he is based in Ghana as a newspaper seller, but established the hospital with employed workers.
Some items recovered from the hospital included syringes, drugs and other medical materials.
Stephen said that he was to understudy the doctor in charge but was allowed to take over after the doctor left.
Stephen admitted being a fake medical doctor but claimed to have been an apprentice at an unnamed hospital in Ogun State.
The fake medical doctor said: “Actually, I must be truthful to you, I am not a medical doctor but I was employed as a medical doctor.
“What really happened was that I told the management the truth that I am a trained auxiliary nurse but when the real doctor that was employed left the hospital, I started acting as the real medical doctor.
“My works speak for me because I have delivered over 200 babies and only one died.
“One hundred and ninety nine survived.
“Their mothers survived too.
“It was only a baby and a mother that died.”
On how the baby and the mother died, the suspect said: “It was not my fault.
“It was the fault of the doctor that was in charge.
“Before I took over, I was not happy when he was trying to deliver a pregnant woman of her baby and the delivery lasted for about six hours.
“She bled profusely.
“Blood littered everywhere and I pushed the doctor out of the labour room and I inserted my hand into her womb and brought out the baby so that the woman would not suffer.
“But all my efforts were fruitless as the woman and the baby died.
“That was the only woman who died in my years as the doctor in charge of the hospital.
“Another episode that happened when I was there, which I was not happy with, was when a woman was transfused with an unscreened blood and I protested, even though I was not qualified to be a doctor.
“I tried my best to operate, according to the ethics of the profession.”
The owner of the hospital, Onyema, said that he used to sell newspaper in Ghana.
His words: “I opened the hospital but did not register it.
“I have started the registration process.
“I employed a genuine doctor but he left.
“This man (Stephen) that is talking like parrot started acting.
“I am a qualified spinal cord doctor, though I did not read it in the university.
“The hospital was doing well and this thrash that this man is talking, I was not there when it happened.
“I was in Ghana.”
Braide said that many people have lost their lives in the hands of the fake medical practitioners.
Similarly, three suspected armed robbers, whose gang specializes in blowing up banks with gas cylinders and other equipment, were also paraded.
Braide said that they were arrested on Iba Road, off LASU Road, after engaging the police in a gun battle.
She said that 29 AK-47 rifle’s magazines, 12 locally made pistols, three double barrel guns, 25 live cartridges, two gas cylinders, iron cutter, generator set and some electronics were recovered from the suspects.
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