Lagos State Government, through the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency, HEFAMAA, has shut down 20 health facilities in the month of August for non-compliance with regulatory standards.
The Executive Secretary of HEFAMAA, Dr. Abiola Idowu who disclosed this after a monitoring and inspection exercise carried out by the agency, stressed that the State government remains committed to putting a halt to the ugly trend of having unqualified personnel work in health facilities and would continue to insist that the environment for the dispensation of medical care is suitable and hygienic for the promotion and maintenance of good health.
She assured the populace that the government would not relent in its efforts to rid the State of quackery and illegal facilities, stressing that part of the strategies employed by the Agency that engendered success included consistent surveillance and monitoring of health facilities in the State, support by members of the public as well as placement of adequate sanctions on those who failed to adhere to standards.
Idowu urged members of the public to continually cooperate and support the government in the fight against quackery and illegal operation of facilities by reporting those behind such acts to relevant government agencies to safeguard the health and well-being of the citizenry.
The HEFAMAA boss also revealed that the agency has witnessed improved service delivery since the introduction of e-hefama, a technology-based platform to ease registration of facilities as well as to conduct other functions and responsibilities of HEFAMAA.
While noting that e-hefama offers a robust complaint mechanism whereby members of the public could channel their grievances directly to the agency for prompt actions and solutions, she assured that the agency will continue to leverage the platform with a view to improving on its mandate and broaden public access to its various services.
“I have no doubt that the introduction of the e-platform will make the operations of HEFAMAA less cumbersome and also avail health facilities and members of the public the opportunity to interface with the agency seamlessly, she said.
She advised owners and operators of health facilities in the State to ensure they complete their registration with HEFAMAA, collect the agency’s logo and display them at a visible position in their facilities for members of the public to see.
Dr. Abiola advised members of the public to be cautious and desist from patronising uncertified health care providers, adding they should report such facilities as well as any suspicious activity to HEFAMAA.
She enjoined the people to continue to have confidence in the government’s ability to fulfill the mandate of accessible, affordable and qualitative healthcare.
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