Suhum: Police hunts for fake abortion doctor

The quack doctor at the center of Starr News’ investigative report on illegal abortions in Suhum in the Eastern region has absconded.

His facility which is in a deplorable condition has for a number of years served as a center where scores of ladies have been terminating their pregnancies with life threatening complications in some instances.

Speaking to Starr News, Eastern Regional Police PRO ASP Yaw Nketia Yeboah said the police has mounted a search for the suspect and appealed to the residents in the area to volunteer information on the suspect’s whereabouts.

Dismissed Health Extension Worker

Starr News has also gathered that, the fake abortion doctor is a dismissed Health Extension Officer of the Youth Employment Agency who worked as a ward assistant at the Rev. Bidi -S Memorial Hospital popularly known as Setsoafia Clinic.

The quack doctor identified only as David was dismissed from the hospital in March, 2016 after management of the hospital found him guilty of misconduct.

He was alleged to be diverting some patients to his illegal facility to abort their pregnancies.

The Medical Director of Rev. Bidi -S Memorial Hospital, Dr. Dik Setsoafia in an interview with Starr News said he was informed on several occasions about the illegal operations of the quack Doctor but treated them as rumor due to absence of evidence.

The operations of David has put several lives of young women in the Suhum municipality and its environs in danger.

Young ladies between the ages of 14 and 30 were spotted in the facility to access his services during Starr News’ investigations.

The facility is made up of two small rooms built with mud. Inside the rooms are small size beds, some cooking utensils, rags and other dirty materials. Also found in the room were abortion equipment and tools used by the “Doctor”.

At least three young ladies visit the facility daily to terminate their pregnancies. The “doctor” is well known by the youth in the Suhum Municipality, hence the high patronage of his services.

The quack doctor is assisted by three other men at the facility.

His clients are admitted for at least four hours in the stuffy and unhygienic rooms after going through the abortion process before they are released to go home.

Antibiotics, Painkillers and Blood tonics are administered to the victims after the abortion.

Some of the victims who suffer complications after the operation are urged to take the drags prescribed for them.

However, according to the fake doctor, “the complications are normal and can happen even when done in approved facilities.”

Cognisant of the illegality of his operations, the “abortion doctor” is mindful of the people he talks to but unsuspectingly opened up to Starr News’ Eastern regional Correspondent Kojo Ansah who disguised himself as a brother to one of his recent clients.

He revealed that he has acquired enough experience over the years having practiced illegally at the facility for several years now. He added that he has not recorded any serious complaint from anyone throughout his practice.

Several attempts to arrest the alleged fake doctor has proved futile as he is always unavailable at his facility anytime the police storms the facility.