By: J. Mason Kollie |Correspondent
Foya City, Lofa County –Monday, April 13, 2025-Mr. Matthias Sackilah operates a drugs store in Konduma, Foya City where he allegedly conducts surgery on patients from Foya and its surrounding including towns and villages.
According to police preliminary investigation, Sackilah has been conducting surgery in secrecy for more than a decade. Some of the citizens in the area spoken to by our reporter, they admitted to his work as a nurse but also revealed that for too long he has been performing operating in the community without a proper permit.
“We know Mr. Matthias Sackilah as a nurse, and he been doing very well for us here in Foya and nearby towns as well as villages. In fact some of the cases that the Foya Borma Hospital can’t handle we bring it to his drug store for treatment,” Fayia Nyumah a closed neighbor said in an interview.
Unfortunately for Matthias Sackilah, a licensed nurse who once worked for the Foya Borma Hospital in Foya City, conducted a surgery in 2021 on a 28 –year’s old woman at his drug store but now appeared to have been wrongly performed and have resulted to serious injuries for the patient.
According to information gathered from the police, the state of affairs led to the victim to travel to Monrovia for advanced treatment. However, while in Monrovia for almost 3 years, her situation instead of improving kept getting worse at Benson Hospital in Paynesville. Doctors then asked the patient to return to Lofa to the person who allegedly performed the first surgery in order for him to redo her work.
The 28 -year old patient identified as Florence Passia in April 2025 returned to Foya and went to Matthias Sackilah Drug Store to redo the surgery. “Since this man did this operation on me, my stomach is just getting big and pus coming from my mouth at the same time vomiting every day; I’m in serious pain and no blood in me, ” Patient Florence Passia said on her sick bed.
Right now, Ms. Passia is currently under critical condition and was on last Saturday, April 12, 2025 transferred at the Tellewoyan Memorial hospital in Voinjama for a new surgery as doctors there assess the feasibility of a new surgery.
Meanwhile, nurse Matthias Sackilah is currently in Police cell waiting to be charged and sent to court for illegally operating a drug Store as a Clinic and without proper documentation as well as impersonation.
Suspect Matthias Sackilah is a former employee of the Foya Borma Hospital in Foya City and as a result of the present situation; his clinical materials have been seized by police and recorded for further investigation.
In a related development, the Lofa County Health Team headed by Dr. Moses U. Weidehgar (County Health Officer) has sent a strong message to nurses and health workers operating drugs stores in and around the county, to stop treating patients at their facilities.
“A drug Store is not a clinic, if we find out that you are doing treatment at your drugs store, you will be arrested and send to court. We will make sure to carry on this exercise across the county to check all drugs store in the county” Dr. Moses Weidehgar, Lofa County Health Officer said in a very harsh and angry tone.
For his part, suspect Matthias Sackilah admitted that he has been helping the community to perform minor surgery at his drug store but this was an unfortunate situation for him.
“I normally help people in Foya City and many towns around here, in fact this lady case is since three years ago, and I was just helping her and now she has brought this disgrace to me. God will save me,” he said.
Edited: Jesefu Morris Keita| Editor-In-Chief
