HEFAMAA Shuts Down 14 Facilities In Four Months

The Executive Secretary, Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA), Dr. Abiola Idowu, has reiterated the Agency’s commitment to delivering its statutory roles and responsibilities toward improving the health of the citizens.

Idowu, who stated this today in her office at the Tisco Plaza, Alausa, Ikeja while reviewing the activities of the Agency, disclosed that a total of 14 facilities were shut down between January and April 2022 for various infractions, including quackery, operating beyond schedule, lack of qualified medical personnel as well as non-registration of facilities and inadequate medical equipment.

She listed two of the sealed facilities as Felobam Alpha Convalescent Home located at 15, Adesanya Street, Mafoluku, Oshodi and Medville Global Health Centre at 1, Bashiru Street, off Lateef Adegboyega Street, Ago Palace Way, Okota.

The Executive Secretary, speaking through a Director in the Agency, Dr. Godswill Iboma, maintained that the Agency will not relent in its regulatory role of monitoring health facilities across the State to ensure qualitative service delivery to the citizens.

She pointed out that the Agency recently held a series of workshops with regulatory bodies, professional associations and relevant stakeholders in the sector to validate draft guidelines for some categories of health facilities in Lagos as a benchmark for service delivery measurement, and a framework for existing facilities to review and improve their performance.

“As part of our efforts to protect the health of people in Lagos State, the Agency developed draft standards for over 20 categories of health facilities in the State. The draft standards were improvements over the standards stipulated in the Health Sector Reform Law of 2006 presently under review. 14 of the standards have so far been reviewed and validated with the relevant stakeholders while the review meetings for the remaining eight standards will soon be organised by the Agency”, she said.

While explaining the efforts of the Agency in combating quackery and unprofessional conduct in the State’s healthcare system, the Executive Secretary stated that the Agency visits each facility at least twice a year to assess their processes, personnel, equipment and environment to ensure they maintain set standards as stipulated by the Health Sector Reform Law (HSRL) of 2006.

Dr. Idowu added that in Y2021 the Agency carried out sensitisation campaigns and town hall meetings in the five divisions of the State to inform and educate the public on its roles and responsibilities as well as sensitise them on the need to cooperate and support the government in its fight against quackery and poor-quality health care services by reporting illegal and unprofessional activities to the Agency.

She gave assurance that the sensitisation campaign will be intensified in Y2022 and beyond to create more awareness, stressing that the Agency’s social media platforms and dedicated phone numbers – 09015637023, 09057273396, 0812704228 – serve the purposes of informing the people as well as getting feedback from them.

While explaining the efforts of the Agency in combating quackery and unprofessional conduct in the State’s healthcare system, the Executive Secretary stated that the Agency visits each facility at least twice a year to assess their processes, personnel, equipment and environment to ensure they maintain set standards as stipulated by the Health Sector Reform Law (HSRL) of 2006.

Dr. Idowu added that in Y2021 the Agency carried out sensitisation campaigns and town hall meetings in the five divisions of the State to inform and educate the public on its roles and responsibilities as well as sensitise them on the need to cooperate and support the government in its fight against quackery and poor-quality health care services by reporting illegal and unprofessional activities to the Agency.
She gave assurance that the sensitisation campaign will be intensified in Y2022 and beyond to create more awareness, stressing that the Agency’s social media platforms and dedicated phone numbers – 09015637023, 09057273396, 0812704228 – serve the purposes of informing the people as well as getting feedback from them.

The Executive Secretary, therefore, advised owners and operators of health facilities in the State to carry out their operations in accordance with the set standards in order to actualise the vision of the present administration in improving the quality of healthcare provisions to citizens.