A total of five persons have been arrested and 11 health facilities shut down in Udu, Uvwie and Warri South local government areas for operating illegally.
The Ministry of Health which carried out the sealing up exercise said the illegal operators were involved in performing medical services without the requisite qualifications and operating in unregistered premises.
According to the breakdown of figures released by the Ministry, seven (7) hospitals/clinics/maternities and four (4) laboratories were sealed up, while eight hospitals/clinics/maternities and five laboratories were giving warnings.
The Ministry listed the hospitals/clinics/maternities shut down to include Jakcot Clinic and Maternity, Ogedegbe Street, Warri; Dr Good Health, by Ovwian-Orhunvworun Road Roundabout; Agbon and Botah Medicare, Okumagba Estate, Warri; and Graceland Dental Clinic, Enerhen.
Others were St Jeremiah Dental Clinic, Udu Road, Ovwian; Redeemed Medical Clinic and Maternity, Ovwian Road, Ovwian; and Israel Isomeopathic Clinic and Maternity, Udu Road, Ovwian.
The Health Ministry said that the laboratories closed down were Clefas Ventures Laboratory Diagnostic Service, Jakpa Road, Effurun; Aris Top-Hand Diagnostic Laboratory Service, PTI Road, Effurun; WilCare Medical Diagnostic Service, PTI Road, Effurun; and Hisman Medical Laboratories, Udu Road, by Odibo Road About.
The monitoring team leader of the Delta State Ministry of Health, Dr Alfred Ebiakofa, said that the premises shut down posed grave danger to the health of people and warned residents of the State to patiently carry out background checks on health facilities before patronizing them.
Dr Ebiakofa stated that the Ministry of Health would continue to raid, arrest and prosecute quacks and operators of unregistered health facilities in the State to ensure that the Health for All Deltans initiative by the State Government was not compromised.