HEFAMAA expands crackdown on illegal facilities, warns residents against unlicensed operators

The Lagos State Government has intensified its campaign against illegal medical facilities, expanding statewide sensitisation efforts to help residents identify and avoid unregistered health centres operating across the state.

The renewed enforcement drive is being spearheaded by the Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency, HEFAMAA, under the Lagos State Ministry of Health.

The agency is engaging community leaders and stakeholders to promote awareness on how to distinguish registered facilities through official logos and QR codes, while urging prompt reporting of suspicious or unlicensed operators.

Speaking during at a sensitization campaign and townhall meeting at the Lagos Island Local Government on Tuesday, the Permanent Secretary of HEFAMAA, Dr. Abiola Idowu, said the sensitisation campaign formed part of sustained efforts to eliminate illegal medical practice and strengthen safe healthcare delivery across Lagos.

Represented by the Deputy Director of Health Education, Mrs. Oladunni Omonike, Idowu stressed that the outreach aimed to protect residents from life-threatening risks posed by unlicensed practitioners.

“Let’s eradicate from our minds the idea of going to private nurses. Even if they are trained, practising without a licence is illegal.

“Anything done openly and within a registered facility is the right way to receive healthcare,” Idowu stated.

She emphasised that even professionally trained individuals commit an offence when they operate without proper facility registration and regulatory approval.

The Permanent Secretary also cautioned residents against seeking treatment from unlicensed private nurses operating from homes or informal settings, warning that such practices expose patients to avoidable dangers.

In addition, she advised the public to obtain medications strictly from licensed pharmacies and only on valid prescriptions issued by qualified medical doctors.

“Don’t just go and buy drugs. Buy prescribed drugs. And pharmacy, they are not supposed to treat you in the pharmacy.

“It is your prescription that you are bringing from the doctor that the pharmacist will work on and give you prescription.

“That will help also. Our health is very important. If you don’t have a good health, you can’t go to the pharmacy,” the permanent secretary noted.

Idowu reiterated that all public and private health facilities legally operating in Lagos are duly registered and monitored by HEFAMAA, urging residents to verify official identification signs before seeking medical care.

According to her, sustained collaboration between government agencies and communities remains critical to eliminating quackery and ensuring that healthcare services across the state meet approved regulatory standards.