By Kemi Olatunde
|
The Ondo State Government has read the riot act to quacks, fake and counterfeit drug dealers in the state.

The commissioner for Health, Dr Wahab Adegbenro, who made this statement while speaking with journalists after a monitoring exercise of patent medicine stores said the government holds the lives of residents dear and would not allow anybody to toy with them in the name of making money.

Dr Adegbenro said the government will not hesitate to prosecute those operating hospitals under the guise of patent medicine stores, and endanger the lives of residents.

The commissioner was represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry,  Dr Dipo Durojaye who briefed the press after a monitoring exercise by the Task Force on Counterfeit and Fake Drugs in Akure.

He advised residents to be careful of where they seek medicare as there are accredited facilities for such all around where they can seek help when the need arises.

The health commissioner also warned quacks and fake drugs dealers that it will not be business as usual while appealing to patent medicine dealers to play the game by the rules.

One Ifetayo Williams Olowolayemo who was nabbed during the monitoring exercise was paraded before journalists while they were being briefed.

Olowolayemo was operating an illicit hospital and admitting patients under the guise of operating a patent medicine store called Olowolayemo Excel Medicine Store located around Tipper Garage Arakale, Akure.

Various controlled and banned drugs, injections such as enagin, were found in his possession and he was suspected to have been carrying out various medical activities that he was not authorised to carry out, such as administering drips,  transfusing blood with wrong instruments, injecting his victims with banned and dangerous injections, disposal of Medical wastes in an unlawful manner, among others.

Immediately after the press briefing, Olowolayemo was handed over to law enforcement agents to be remanded and for prosecution commence.