Minister of State for Health, Dr Tunji Alausa, has expressed displeasure with increasing rate of quacks and organ harvesting in the health sector. He said that the Federal Government will soon introduce new legislation to regulate the healthcare sector.
The minister stated that it is in a bid to address the grave issue of organ harvesting and the prevalence of quacks in Nigeria’s health industry.
Speaking during a recent visit to Ogun State, Alausa expressed concern over the unregulated operations of hospitals, laboratories, and diagnostic centres, which allow illegal practices to thrive.
He emphasised the urgent need for greater supervision and the elimination of untrained individuals from the sector.
“We will be pushing for a new regulation to regulate the healthcare sector as more than 60 per cent of the nation’s healthcare is in the hands of the private sector without adequate supervision,” said Dr Alausa. “These are some of the places where illegal practices like organ harvesting are taking place.”
To ensure standardised healthcare delivery across the nation, the Federal Government plans to establish a Health Facility Regulatory Commission. Alausa further urged each state to establish their regulatory bodies. “The government aims to address the shortage of healthcare providers by admitting 10,000 medical students each year and increasing nursing admissions from 28,000 to 68,000 annually.”
