The Lagos State Government has cautioned private medical practitioners against handling health conditions beyond their professional competence, urging them to refer patients to specialists to prevent avoidable deaths and medical complications.
The Executive Secretary of the Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA), Dr Victoria Egunjobi, gave the warning during a meeting with the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners in Lagos, according to a statement obtained by The newsmen on Sunday.
Egunjobi also called on private medical practitioners to support the agency’s efforts to eliminate quackery by reporting unqualified individuals and healthcare facilities operating illegally across the state.
She stressed that stronger collaboration between the agency and healthcare providers was essential to sanitising the sector and ensuring compliance with established medical standards.
The warning comes amid renewed efforts by HEFAMAA to strengthen regulation and encourage self-monitoring within the private healthcare sector, particularly by ensuring that practitioners recognise the limits of their professional training and refer patients when specialist attention is required.
Speaking at the meeting, the Lagos State Chairman of the association, Dr Olusola Ogunleye, said the newly inaugurated executive members had visited the agency to explore areas of cooperation and address challenges affecting private medical practitioners.
Ogunleye raised concerns over multiple taxation, limited access to professional training and capacity-building programmes, as well as a proposal to make association membership a requirement for registering private healthcare facilities with HEFAMAA.
She also appealed for a more streamlined facility registration process, harmonisation of waste management charges through engagement with the Lagos State Waste Management Authority and uniformity in facility inspection procedures.
In her response, Egunjobi assured the practitioners that their concerns would be considered, but maintained that the agency’s primary responsibility was to ensure an organised and properly regulated healthcare system that prioritises patient safety.
She further encouraged medical practitioners to embrace self-regulation and voluntarily report unethical practices, while maintaining regular engagement with the regulatory agency.
The Director of Monitoring and Inspection, Dr Ibom A. Godswill, and the Director of Research and Statistics, Dr Olonire Olorunfemi, also reminded practitioners of the need to obtain the necessary approvals before commencing operations, renew their licences promptly and adhere to regulatory requirements.
HEFAMAA said it would sustain engagement with stakeholders and strengthen monitoring activities to improve standards and ensure safer healthcare delivery across Lagos State.
