Wike Blows Hot: Unlicensed Medical Operators Will Be Jailed Without Delay

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has ordered a complete crackdown on unregistered hospitals and unlicensed medical practitioners operating within the FCT.

Wike warned that anyone found operating or employed at an unregistered health facility would be arrested and prosecuted.
“From now on, anyone discovered to be working in or managing an unregistered health facility should be apprehended and prosecuted,” the Minister stated.

He made this known while reacting to the tragic death of a pregnant woman following a caesarean section at Afolmi Hospital, a private healthcare center in Durumi, Abuja.

In a statement released on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike expressed concern that despite the free enrollment of pregnant women into the Federal Capital Territory Health Insurance Scheme (FHIS), many expectant mothers were still not utilizing the available benefits.

The statement read in part:
“In the FCT, vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, benefit from free enrollment into the FHIS, granting them free access through Primary Health Care (PHC) Centers to services under the Basic Minimum Package of Health Services (BMPHS).”

“In line with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and Wike-led FCTA’s commitment to ending maternal deaths, several hospitals across the FCT — including those in Gwarinpa, Nyanya, Abaji, and Kuje — have been designated Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (CEONC) centers. These hospitals offer free caesarean section services.”

Pregnant women are once again encouraged to take advantage of these free health services and avoid seeking care from unlicensed medical practitioners and unregistered facilities.