Adibe Emenyonu in Benin-city
In order to check quackery in the Edo State health sector and save the people from avoidable health challenges, the state government disclosed that it has sealed not less than 108 health facilities in the last six months for failing several quality assurance checks.
It also said though there are about 5,000 registered health facilities in the state, it is now compiling a new digitised data base for all such facilities in the state for easy assessment and evaluation.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Samuel Alli, disclosed this at a press briefing on healthcare regulation in the state in Benin-city.
According to him, some of the facilities were sealed because they were unregistered, unsafe medical practices, practicing beyond approved scope and use of unqualified personnel, adding that in a particular facility, the team from the ministry were resisted by the owner because her spouse was military personnel.
Alli said all those found to continue to contravene government’s regulations after due warning would be prosecuted in the court of law.
He said: “We have had to close down a number of facilities practicing beyond their scope after warning. Facilities specifically guilty of the crime include pharmacies, medical laboratories, and nursing homes, which deviate from their areas of practice with impunity.
“For example, community pharmacies masquerading as medical doctors and prescribing medications, patent medicine stores selling medicines beyond their scope, nursing homes conducting surgeries, medical laboratories admitting patients for stabilization are also guilty. We have had instances where the spouse of the owner of a nursing home resisted sealing of the premises because he is a military officer. We will use all our powers as a government to bring all offenders to book.
“Most of the health facilities engage unqualified personnel. We must reiterate that no qualified doctor is licensed to train nurses. No doctor should train a nurse. If you are interested in training nurses, seek the approval of relevant authorities to open a nursing school.”
To this end, Alli reiterated that the state no longer tolerate the use of unqualified nurses without the supervision of a qualified nurse.
He added that using auxiliary nurses unsupervised is not acceptable, pointing out that “the government want all auxiliary nurses certified. We acknowledge the brain drain syndrome leading to a dearth of nurses nationwide, but this does not justify such malfeasance.”
The health commissioner said the people should do the right thing in the new year because the “health of our people is paramount and of priority.”
