Lagos shuts 100 health facilities over quackery

LAGOS State Government, yesterday, said that it had shut no fewer than 100 health facilities in the last 10 months for quackery.

Executive Secretary of the Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA), Dr Abiola Idowu, disclosed during the agency’s sensitisation and enforcement exercise in Badagry.

She also said that the rate of quackery in the state had dropped as a result of the activities of the agency as well as the engagement and deployment of private stakeholders to help in monitoring health facilities.

Idowu, who said that the special sensitisation and enforcement exercise to Badagry became necessary because of the reports of quackery and untoward health practices in the area, added that the agency wants its presence highly felt within the Badagry region so that there could be improved healthcare service delivery to the residents in line with the THEMES agenda of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

The HEFAMAA boss stated that the monitoring and visits to health facilities in Lagos are not geared towards finding faults and witch-hunting the owners of the healthcare centres but aimed at raising standards and improving healthcare delivery in the state.

She, however, said that within the four days that the agency would be in Badagry, it would not only educate the citizens on the importance of patronising accredited health facilities, but also advising the residents on calling the attention of government to health facilities operating without the agency’s accreditation.

Meanwhile, the Baale of Tohon, Adeoye Sottin, who spoke on behalf of the monarch, underscored the importance of having standards in the healthcare sector, saying that it is important that the agency keeps tab on the activities of health facilities within the area.

He, however, implored the agency not to compromise in sealing health facilities operating below set standards because of the danger they pose to the society.

Sottin, who commended the governor for providing additional medical equipment to the Badagry General Hospital, implored him to employ more health workers for the short-staffed hospital.