I begin to have an unrest state of mind when I personally embarked on self sponsored project to identify 57 fake midwives and 15 illegal maternities operating in churches under unskilled personnel in Rivers State. It would be recalled that names and addresses including phone numbers of these quack midwives I discovered in various areas of the state capital, local government headquarters and water fronts communities in Port Harcourt were published without compromised despite the monetary influence of them who try to lobby me not to publish their names and addresses.
But rather than the authorities to take advantage of these publication to sanitize the system by fishing out the quacks with a satisfied offence, to my greatest surprise, some staff of Ministry of Environment popularly know as Sanitation Officers in Elelenwo immediately picked copies of the publication and move in group from door to door of these quack midwives and owners of these maternity for a payment of fifteen thousand naira only as a sanitation fee to them and issued them operational permits to back up their illegal medical operations which the Honourable Commissioner of Health, Dr. Sampson Parker with his able press secretary, Mr. Owupele frowned at. Can you imagine this?
Honestly, I remember that I attended a programme in Akwa Ibom State in August 27, 2013 on a bill to regulate child delivery, organized by the Akwa Ibom State Government under the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Emem Bassey on the seventh Akwa Ibom State Council on Health meeting, organized by the Ministry of Health and Non Government Organization (NGO) where the Commissioner Bassey warned pastors not allow their members to deliver in their churches, adding that churches are not maternities and always send their pregnant members to health centres for safe delivery and avoid maternities under unskilled personnel.
Arriving home, Port Harcourt, I become jealous, the Primary Health Centres in Rivers State to speak the truth are more equipped than the ones I saw in Akwa Ibom State, and in order to reduce maternal death I embarked on this personal investigation to discovered 57 fake/unqualified or skilled personnel and about more than 15 illegal maternities in Rivers State where some women are sleeping on the floor waiting for child delivery.
As if the publication was not enough, I also wrote a memo on this development and addressed to the Honourable Commissioner, Ministry of Health, Rivers State for an expected action but regrettably to notice that I discovered a chopping jamboree for the environmental staff in Rivers State using my research to pay salaries/allowances for themselves.
For the interest of public health and safety, I believe the Rivers State Ministry of Health should try as much as possible to sponsor a bill to the Rivers State House of Assembly or by any mean sponsor a bill to regulate child delivery in churches and the hands of the quacks with a offence to reduce or eradicate these rising population of Mama Odika, Mama Blessing, Mama Chinyere, Mama Obere and Aunty Nurse who told me in investigation/research that they forget their licence and certificate in Akwa Ibom, Uyo, Aba, Imo, Owerre, Delta, Lagos and lots and come to Rivers State where people considered as a city of no law to discharge these unwanted services to Rivers people at the expense of public health and safety.
I, therefore, call on the Ministry of Health and her agencies to rise up to expectation as a challenge task and reduce it to the barest minimum.
This information as contain is predicated for not any personal interest for just writing sake but for the interest of public health and safety and reduction of maternal death for a better healthy society. ###
