Lagos Registers Over 3,400 Health Facilities

The Executive Secretary, Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency, HEFAMAA, Dr. Abiola Idowu, has disclosed that the Agency has so far registered over 3,400 health facilities across the State to deliver various healthcare services to the people.

Dr. Idowu, who made the disclosure at the end of a two-day workshop held in Lekki, explained that the first step required to register a health facility with the Agency is an application to the Honourable Commissioner for Health, after which the facility is inspected and if successful, issued a Certificate of Registration.

She mentioned that health facilities registered by the Agency include Hospitals, Eye Clinics, Optical Centres, Eye Hospitals, Dental Clinics, Dental Hospitals, Medical Laboratories, Diagnostic Centres and Dialysis Centres.

Others facilities, according to her, include Physiotherapy Clinics, Specialist Clinics, Specialist Hospitals, Multi-Specialty Hospitals, Assisted Reproductive Therapy Centres, Nursing/Convalescent Homes, Maternity Centres, Industrial Clinics, Mobile Clinics and Mortuaries.

The Executive Secretary explained that the Agency, apart from registering these facilities, also carries out other responsibilities including monitoring and inspection of registered facilities to ensure strict adherence to set standards, revealing that each facility is visited at least twice a year.

Speaking on the purpose of the programme, Dr. Idowu stated that the workshop was a fallout of the Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement landscape assessment carried out in the State and “focused on reviewing the Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement tools and methodologies being used by development partners, programmes and regulatory agencies”.

She added, “The workshop aimed at developing harmonised Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement tools to be used by the Agency for effective and efficient monitoring of health facilities across the State”.

The Executive Secretary restated the commitment of the Agency to constantly monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of health facilities in the State in an effort to achieve the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda of the present administration.

She also revealed that a Technical Working Committee has been constituted to further review the output of the workshop with a view to making the consolidated Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement tool as well as the Quality approaches generally acceptable to the stakeholders.

Speaking on the benefits of quality assurance, Dr. Godswill Iboma, a Director with the Agency observed that it can help improve health workers’ motivation as they have more ownership and recognition for their work.

Pharmacist Moses Awolola, one of the participants, opined that the workshop offers an opportunity for the Agency to ensure that the quality of its services meet the expectations of its customers and thanked the State Government for the opportunity to attend the educative programme.

The workshop was well attended by participants drawn from several MDAs, partners as well as health professional associations amongst many others.