- Confesses health officials come for inspection but never had issues with them in six years
No doubt, the continuous exodus of many medical practitioners abroad for more lucrative practice is posing a severe danger in Nigeria’s health sector.
The critical healthcare industry is gradually becoming all comers affairs and quacks are taking the centre stage of providing “deadly healthcare services” to citizens who are in dire need of medical attention.
The recent arrest of a 32-year-old Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination holder, Saheed Oladiti, who established an unlicensed clinic and allegedly practiced as a medical doctor for over six years has also brought to the fore the failure of inspection and regulation of healthcare by concerned authorities in the country.
After Oladiti was nabbed by operatives of the Osun State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps following the death of a pregnant woman in Ororuwo town, The Point had an exclusive interview with him and he revealed how he was able to treat hundreds of Nigerians, delivered numerous pregnant women of their babies and also prescribed drugs for several patients unchecked.
Trouble came for Oladiti, who is the ‘Chief Medical Director’ of Oloruntoyin Clinic, Ororuwo, last week, after the last pregnant woman he delivered of a baby died at his three-bedroom flat medical facility. After delivery, it was gathered that the woman developed complications which led to her eventual death.
The spokesperson for the Osun NSCDC, Kehinde Adeleke, said the suspect had been operating an unlicensed clinic in Ororuwo for over six years and two months.
Adeleke also said the suspect was engaging in the training of medical personnel at the cost of N5, 000 per trainee.
The NSCDC spokesperson said, “While making his confessional statement, the suspect, Oladiti Toyin, said on April 15, 2024, a pregnant woman with nine months and three weeks pregnancy, visited his hospital popularly known as Oloruntoyin Clinic at No 2, Lakewu Area, Ororuwo, Boripe Local Government Area, Osun State.
“According to him, the pregnant woman could not continue her antenatal care at her previous hospital because she had a misunderstanding with her husband. The self–acclaimed doctor said he checked her blood pressure which was low and gave her some drugs. He thereafter asked her to come back whenever she fell into labour.
“On Thursday, April 18, 2024, the woman began to experience labour symptoms and was in the hospital, where she was delivered of a baby. The victim developed some complications shortly after and was later rushed to a nearby licensed hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.”
Meanwhile, Oladiti, during the exclusive interview, explained that he struggled to gain admission to study medicine at a university and become a certified medical doctor but there was no one to assist him financially.
According to the indigene of Osun State, he had wanted to become a medical doctor from childhood but the sudden death of his father added in crumbling his dream.
He told The Point that he had once asked a rich individual in his community to lend him money for him to be able to process his admission into a university after his secondary school education, but lamented that the person refused to help him.
He said even though some health officials had visited the community for inspection a couple of times, no one questioned his practice as he has been able to safely deliver pregnant women of their babies without casualty until the last patient he handled.
Oladiti, who regretted his actions, explained that he has excellent grades in his school certificate examinations, and called on well-meaning Nigerians to assist him in actualizing his dream of becoming a medical doctor.
The suspect said, “I am not happy with what has happened. And I must confess to you, this is the first time a patient will die in my clinic. I want the government to have mercy on me. Once I am released, I will take certain steps that will make me more professional and licensed. I am ready to study medicine and acquire relevant licenses to practice.
“I am a nurse and I only operate the maternity room and attend to other minor ailments that people bring to me. I have never told anyone that I am a doctor; the people chose to call me doctor. You know a doctor will have full equipment and carryout surgeries but I don’t do surgeries. The people in the area call me doctor because they don’t know the difference between a nurse and doctor. I make use of a three bedroom flat. I rented it and I do pay the sum of N200, 000 as rent every year.”
Asked if any health officials from the Osun State Ministry of Health or other authority had once visited his health facility for inspection, he said, “What has happened has happened. Some health officials used to come for inspection but they have never had any issues with me because this incident (death of patient) has never happened to me before. And I continue to say it is only God that understands.
“I can swear with anything that since I have been in operation for the past six years, no patient has been lost in my hospital,” he maintained.
On how he learned how to provide medical services to pregnant women and other Nigerians who need healthcare, he said, “I got trained and I go to places to practice.
After my training, I worked at some places before I established my clinic. I had loved to go for a medical course in the university, graduate and become a medical doctor but because there was no one to support me financially since I lost my father.
“I am still baffled on how the pregnant woman died because the woman that brought her to my clinic was one of those I delivered their babies. And if I didn’t attend to her well during her pregnancy period then, she would not have brought her pregnant elder sister to my clinic. If I had known that attending to the deceased would lead me into this mess, I would have rejected her when she was brought to me,” Oladiti who spoke in Yoruba stated.
He added, “Since my childhood, I had wanted to become a medical doctor. It was the time I wanted to further my education when my father died. That was when I decided to get training before I started practicing. I was trained at some clinics. Since I have started operating, I do reject serious ailments and those that would need surgical operations.
“The younger sister to the deceased is even one of the pregnant women that presently registered at my clinic for antenatal care.”
Oladiti promised not to go back to quackery if given a second chance, saying, “If anyone gives me money now, I am ready to go to school. I already passed my WAEC and NECO and I came out in flying colours. I had A1, B2 in Physics, Biology, Mathematics and Chemistry subjects and made good grades in other subjects. It was only in the Yoruba Language subject that I had Credit. I wrote my examinations at Ojolugbe Secondary School in Ekiti State.
“I want the government to be merciful to me. If I see anyone that would see me through medical school, I will worship the person forever and pray for him or her daily.”
On the number of patients he had attended to at his clinic, the suspect said, “I have treated numerous people. They are too numerous for me to remember their particular number.
“I was trained in Ilorin and Ekiti and the total period of my training was five years. After that, I worked in some hospitals.”
Oladiti claimed that he had once sought a loan to enable him get a degree but was not granted.
“I once approached someone to lend me some money to further my education after my WAEC but nobody was able to lend me,” he claimed.
Commenting on the incident, the Osun NSCDC Commandant, Michael Adaralewa, assured members of the public that the suspect would be made to face the full wrath of the law upon the conclusion of the investigation.
While calling on members of the public to be mindful of medical institutions they visit whenever they need to attend to their health, the NSCDC boss called on the residents to report quacks parading themselves as medical experts to security agencies for prompt action.
