– Shuts Down Illegal Clinic Following Fatal Incident
BY Jerromie S. Walters
Monrovia, Liberia – Liberian health authorities have shuttered the Lofa Medic Services Clinic and arrested its administrator after a 30-year-old patient died under the care of an unqualified practitioner posing as a medical doctor. The dramatic Monday raid followed a formal investigation into the death of Samuel P. Kollie, who underwent unauthorized surgical procedures performed by an operating room technician without proper medical credentials.
The Liberia Medical and Dental Council (LMDC), working with the Ministry of Justice, confirmed that clinic administrator Sam Wolobah – an OR technician with no medical degree – had been illegally performing surgeries. “This was a criminal deception that cost a life,” said LMDC spokesman James-Emmanuel D. Cole, Jr., as authorities transferred Wolobah to the Liberia National Police for prosecution. The swift action comes amid growing public outrage over rampant unlicensed medical practice in Liberia.
Health officials vowed to intensify nationwide inspections, with the LMDC warning: “We will root out every quack endangering our citizens.” The case has prompted emergency meetings between the West African College of Surgeons, the Liberian Board of Nursing & Midwifery, and the Justice Ministry to strengthen medical oversight.
