Lagos govt bans auxiliary nurses
yarkarkara
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.
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 focused on the roles and responsibilities of HEFAMAA in safeguarding healthcare standards across 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 patronise quack practitioners. He emphasised the importance of HEFAMAA’s monitoring role in ensuring that residents are not exposed to unqualified medical personnel posing as nurses or doctors.
