The Benue State Government has shut St. John’s Hospital, Otukpo, following reports of grave professional misconduct, including an alleged case in which a patient underwent a double-breast removal on November 25 without due clinical process.
Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Paul Ogwuche, confirmed the action on Saturday, noting that the hospital was sealed for “not adherence to established clinical guidelines.”
According to the commissioner, the ministry had placed the facility under surveillance after receiving repeated complaints bordering on unethical medical practices. An enforcement team was deployed on Friday to conduct a thorough assessment.
The operation was led by the Director of Medical Services, Dr. Agbadu Joshua, in the company of the Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association’s Anti-Quackery Committee, Dr. Alex Iorbo, as well as desk officers from Otukpo and Gboko LGAs, who were already in the area for routine monitoring.
Ogwuche stated, “This is part of the state government’s intensified campaign against quackery and substandard medical practice.
“During the inspection of St. John’s Hospital Otukpo, the team found the facility operating in a substandard and unsafe environment and also failing to follow approved treatment protocols.
“The malpractices included a reported case of the removal of both breasts of a patient allegedly carried out on the 25th of November without adherence to established clinical guidelines.”
He added that the hospital was “immediately sealed,” while the Medical Superintendent had been issued a query and directed to appear before the ministry on Monday for further questioning.
The commissioner reaffirmed the government’s resolve to safeguard public health, stressing that the administration remains committed to enforcing ethical and standard-driven medical practice across the state.
He warned that any facility found compromising patient safety would face decisive sanctions and urged health practitioners to uphold professional standards.
The closure follows a similar enforcement action in which St. Peter and Paul Community Health Centre and Maternity in Lessel, Ushongo LGA, was shut over alleged serious professional infractions—underscoring the government’s renewed crackdown on malpractice in the health sector.