Lagos decries illegal health practices, shuts 103 health facilities

Tayo AFOLABI |

The Lagos State Government will not tolerate any form of illegal health practices.

The Lagos Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency, HEFAMAA Executive Secretary, Dr Abiola Idowu gave this warning during a virtual meeting with the staff of the Agency on Friday.

Idowu disclosed that 103 health facilities were shut across the state in 2020 for non-compliance with regulatory standards and urged all health facility operators across the state to abide strictly by the set standards to avoid sanctions.

The Executive Secretary advised new facilities to register with the Agency before starting operations to protect the health of the people, adding that existing registered operators should ensure prompt renewal of their certificates to avoid sanctions.

The HEFAMAA boss urged the public to continue supporting the government in its fight against quackery and illegal operation of health facilities by reporting people behind such acts to the agency to safeguard the health and well-being of the citizens.

She reaffirmed the commitment of the agency in supporting the vision of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration to achieve accessible, affordable and quality healthcare for the residents.

According to her, some of the facilities had been reopened having corrected the infractions and pledged to abide by set standards.

“The facilities were shutdown for infractions ranging from quackery, operating beyond schedule, lack of qualified medical personnel to non-registration of facilities and lack of basic equipment. Although many of the facilities were reopened because they have corrected the infractions but a few others will remain sealed until they do the right thing,” she stated.

While emphasizing the commitment of the state government in sustaining the fight against quackery and unprofessional conducts in the system, she observed that the recent validation of the five-year strategic plan for the Agency will go a long way in improving the quality of healthcare delivery to Lagosians through efficient and effective monitoring of health facilities in the State.

Idowu urged members of staff to redouble their efforts in ensuring quality service delivery to customers and the public.

The Executive Secretary revealed that the agency has already deployed the use of the Health Facility Inspection Tool, Health FIT to enhance effective and efficient inspection and monitoring of health facilities in the State.