The Lagos State Government has declared it unlawful for any health facility to train or employ auxiliary nurses, warning that hospitals found engaging in such practices risk outright closure.
The Permanent Secretary of the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA), Dr. Abiola Idowu, issued the warning on Thursday during a sensitisation campaign and town hall meeting held in Alimosho Local Council.
The event, which focused on HEFAMAA’s role in safeguarding healthcare standards across the state, underscored the government’s resolve to rid the sector of quackery.
Represented by the agency’s Director of Research and Statistics, Dr. Olorunfemi Olonire, Idowu explained that the ban was introduced because the activities of auxiliary nurses had 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 further urged residents to report unlicensed health facilities and quack practitioners to HEFAMAA for prompt enforcement, noting that the government 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 its efforts to ensure that only accredited hospitals operate in the state. Monitoring and inspection teams, she added, have been deployed across all local councils and development areas.
Also speaking at the meeting, the King of Shasha Kingdom, Oba Babatunde Nasiru, urged HEFAMAA to tackle the poor attitude of staff in public hospitals toward patients. He called for intensified oversight of government-owned health facilities, stressing the need for proper staffing and adequate medical equipment.
The monarch warned that unless government hospitals improve in service delivery, residents would continue to patronise quack practitioners. He emphasised the importance of HEFAMAA’s monitoring role in protecting citizens from unqualified personnel posing as nurses or doctors.
