Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Health on Friday raided herbal medicine selling outlets in Uyo, the state capital warning the people on the dangers of patronizing quack herbal medicine vendors in the state.
This is coming, even as Commissioner for Health, Dr Dominic Ukpong has advised the private medical practitioners in the state, to register their hospitals/clinics with the ministry, as government would not hesitate to clamp down on illegal healthcare providers in the state.
He said, quacks who pose as medical practitioners are rife as, government cannot close its eyes and watch such illegal activities, while they kill unsuspecting patients and smile to the banks.
Meanwhile, the raid by the Ministry officials which began on Wednesday followed information by a whistle blower, that the herbal medicine practitioners were selling and administering drugs to patients around the Ibom Plaza.
Observation by Global Patriot which visited the Plaza reveals that, the herbal medicine sellers had fled the area as soon as they were alerted that, the Ministry officials were coming to confront them.
A source who did not want her name in print confided in Global Patriot that, the herbal practitioners usually sell and dispense drugs to people at the plaza but, were unfortunate on the fateful day as a top government functionary, who passed-by stopped to confront them.
She said, they later fled the area on sensing that, the man had contacted the ministry officials on phone to come and arrest them.
Commissioner for Health, Dr Ukpong could not be reached at press time for comments but, his Information Officer, Mr. Ifiok Udo-Abasi confirmed that, the Ministry was embarking on enforcement order to rid the state of the activities of quack healthcare providers.
He maintained that, the enforcement team from the Health Ministry had raided the various selling points at Ikot Ekpene Road by former Mercantile Bank, Aka Road opposite UBA and Etuk Street.
