Lagos Shuts Down 80 Substandard Private Hospitals

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Monday, October 28th, 2013

Lagos Shuts Down 80 Substandard Private Hospitals

The Lagos State Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) has shut down 80 substandard hospitals over non-registration, dirty environment, lack of medical equipment and engagement of quack doctors.

This is in its bid to sanitize and regulates the operation of health facilities within Lagos, Nigeria.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Health, Dr. Yewande Adeshina, disclosed this on Monday at a news conference to review the activities of the agency in the last one year.

Adeshina, who was represented by the Chairman of HEFAMAA, Dr Tayo Bello said this had become imperative as the government was bent on making sure that quackery was totally eradicated in the health sector.

She said the state government, being a responsive and responsible one that cared so much about the health and wellbeing of its citizens and would not allowed any substandard or un-registered health facility to operate in the state, saying that certain conditions and standard had been put in place for private facilities to be met before being registered and given certificate to operate within the state.

The Special Adviser revealed that among health facilities shut down were Chisom Hospital at No. 1, Taiwo Street, off Opere Street, Orile-Iganmu; Peculiar Clinic at No. 62, Coker Road, Orile Iganmu and El-shadai at Olanipekun Alli, all in Orile-Coker area of the state for non-registration, dirty environment with both domestic and medical waste, non-qualified doctors on duty, non documentation of patients and illegal construction on-going within premises.

According to Adeshina, the agency was the only one empowered by the government to register all health facilities both private and state owned and that it had up to date registered over 3,000 health facilities.

“HEFAMAA, as an agency is set up to ensure improvement in the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery in the state, thereby securing the safety of lives of its citizenry whilst being exposed to healthcare delivery. This made the agency to visit and monitor all registered health facilities at least twice a year in order to forestall any act of illegality coming from the operation of these facilities,’ she explained.

Adeshina, however urged all private health facilities operating or wanting to operate within the state to make sure they followed due process in their quest for registration and ensured that the minimum set standards are maintained.