LAGOS, Nigeria – The Lagos State Government has urged residents to verify the registration status of hospitals and clinics before seeking treatment, warning that unapproved facilities could expose patients to unsafe medical practices.
The warning followed the opening of an annex office of the Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) in Ajah, aimed at strengthening healthcare regulation and tackling medical quackery.
The Executive Secretary of HEFAMAA, Dr Victoria Egunjobi, represented by the Director of Monitoring and Inspection, Dr Olayinka Daniel, urged residents of Ajah and neighbouring communities to seek medical attention only from approved healthcare facilities. She advised residents to confirm that hospitals and clinics were registered and accredited before using their services, while reporting suspected unregistered facilities and substandard healthcare practices to the agency.
According to the government, the outreach programme also educated residents on their rights as healthcare consumers, patient safety and the role of community participation in preventing medical quackery. The new Ajah annex is expected to bring HEFAMAA’s regulatory services closer to healthcare providers, improve access to the agency and strengthen monitoring of compliance with healthcare standards.
The government also called on traditional institutions, healthcare professionals and residents to support efforts to ensure safe and properly regulated healthcare delivery. The development comes amid concerns about the risks associated with unlicensed healthcare providers, including improper diagnosis, unsafe treatment and inadequate standards of patient care.
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