Men and officials of the Lagos State Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency over the weekend shut no fewer than 15 illegal health facilities in the state for various offences.
The action was in furtherance of the objective of ridding the state of the menace of fake and unregistered health facilities in line with the state’s health sector Reform Law of 2006.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, who disclosed this, listed offences committed by the affected health facilities as including quackery practice, unofficial training of auxiliary nurses, existence of living room within their facilities, lack of qualified personnel, poor facilities, unhygienic environment and non registration of the facilities with the Agency.
Idris listed the affected health facilities to include Kaff-Salam Maternity Home, 8, Onabola Street Bariga; Gbayi Clinic and Maternity Home at No 57, Akinola Street, Bariga; Iya Deborah Maternity Hospital, Eleshin, Ikorodu; St. Daniel Hospital at No 17, Igbeyin Adun Street, Makoko; and Oluwaseun King Maternity Centre at No 24, Ogo-Oluwa Street, Bariga.
Others, according to Idris are; Oluwadimimu Maternity Home at No 3, Alhaji Davies Street, Surulere; UDYP Christian Hospital at No 62, Sanya Street, Aguda-Surulere; Mount Zion Maternity Centre at No 3B, James Daniel Street off Low Cost Housing Estate, Sabo Ikorodu; Above Medical Centre at No 121, Abaranje Road, Ikotun-Alimosho; and The Saint Medical Diagnostics Center at No 235, Idimu-Ikotun Road, Alake Bus Stop, Alimosho, Lagos.
The commissioner, who frowned at the way health care providers train auxiliary assistants in their clinics, noted that many medical doctors have been bastardising the medical profession by recruiting auxiliary nurses and unqualified personnel, thereby bringing the profession into disrepute as well as endangering the lives of innocent people who unknowingly patronise the health facilities.
He explained that the ugly trend has now degenerated to a state where some of the trained auxiliary nurses now go out and establish their own outfits, claiming to be professionals.
They also in turn breed other quacks.
Idris said such a trend could lead to a long chain of bad precedence for the health sector, which should not be allowed to stand.
“Lagos State Government is more than ready and determined to put a halt to these ugly trends of having unqualified personnel work in health facilities be it private or public. We as a government will continue to insist that the environment for the dispensation of medical care should be suitable for the promotion and maintenance of good health and we will ensure that,” Idris said.
The commissioner stressed the need for all operators of health facilities in Lagos State to ensure that such facilities are duly registered and manned by qualified health personnel, ensure the annual accreditation of all professionals working in their facilities, enforce the availability and use of adequate and appropriate instruments and equipments in their health facilities and ensure that all their facilities conform with minimum health requirements.
Idris explained that the mandatory requirements for the registration of health facilities in the state include the provision of the current practicing licence and credentials of the health personnel in charge of the health facilities; letters of clearance and recommendation from relevant professional bodies; and passport photographs of the proprietor and the officer in charge of operations in the facilities
Other requirements are current practicing licenses of all health personnel working in such health facilities; evidence of attendance of Continuing Medical Education Programme for all health workers working in the facilities; and monthly data rendition to the Ministry of Health.
He noted that the shut health facilities will remain closed until they meet the mandatory requirements for the registration of health facilities in the state before they are reopened.