The Lagos State Government has declared it illegal for any healthcare facility to train or employ auxiliary nurses, warning that any hospital involved in such practices could face immediate closure.
Dr. Abiola Idowu, Permanent Secretary of the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA), issued the warning on Thursday during a sensitisation campaign and town hall meeting in Alimosho Local Council.
The event in Lagos aimed to educate stakeholders on HEFAMAA’s mandate and its critical role in upholding healthcare standards throughout the state.
Represented by the agency’s Director of Research and Statistics, Dr Olorunfemi Olonire, Idowu explained that the ban on auxiliary nurses was introduced because their activities have caused more harm than good to the healthcare system. She stressed that only qualified and licensed medical professionals are permitted to practise in Lagos.
She urged residents to report unlicensed health facilities and quack practitioners to HEFAMAA for appropriate enforcement actions, noting that the state is determined to prevent citizens from being misdiagnosed or handled by unqualified personnel.
According to her, the agency shut down 32 health facilities between January and June this year for various infractions, as part of efforts to ensure that only accredited hospitals operate in Lagos. Monitoring and inspection teams, she added, have been deployed across all local councils and development areas.
Also speaking at the event, the King of Shasha Kingdom, Oba Babatunde Nasiru, called on HEFAMAA to address the poor attitude of staff in public hospitals towards patients. He urged the agency to intensify oversight of government facilities while pressing the state to properly equip and staff them.
The monarch warned that unless the government improves service delivery in its hospitals, residents would continue to patronize quack practitioners. He emphasized the importance of HEFAMAA’s monitoring role in ensuring that residents are not exposed to unqualified medical personnel posing as nurses or doctors.
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