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ENUGU, Nigeria - The Enugu State government, on Wednesday, closed down unregistered hospitals and pharmaceutical outlets in the Enugu and Nsukka regions to protect public health.
The health facilities were shut down during a two-day monitoring initiative conducted by the expanded joint inspectorate team comprising the state ministry of health, regulatory agencies, and medical associations in Enugu.
The director of medical services at the Enugu state ministry of health, Sam Egwuonwu, stated that the operation aimed to identify hospitals that were operating without proper registration with the state’s Ministry of Health.
He also mentioned that the action targeted those facilities that had not renewed their annual registration fees. According to him, the monitoring yielded significant results, with more than six private hospitals and health institutions being sealed.
He explained, “It was a collaborative inspection involving all stakeholders in the health sector in Enugu, including the Nigeria Medical Association, Medical and Dental Midwifery, Laboratory Councils, Association of Nurses, Pharmacists in Enugu, civil society groups, police, and media.”
“We formed two teams, one in Enugu, the capital, and another in Nsukka. The goal is to ensure that all private health facilities in the state are legally registered with the Ministry of Health.”
“If you are registered but fail to renew your registration, your operations that year are considered illegal. Ensuring registration will help reduce quackery in the state and generate revenue for the government,” Egwuonwu added.
He emphasized the importance of prioritizing public health, indicating that the task force would make sure that hospitals in the state adhere to approved standards.
Earlier, the state’s health commissioner, Emmanuel Obi, mentioned that the initiative was aimed at improving healthcare delivery and minimizing fatalities associated with illegal operations.
Obi encouraged residents to confirm the registration status of any health facility before seeking their services.
A representative from the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives in Enugu, Innocent Ejike, explained that the association also ensured that the nurses and other medical staff were qualified and registered.
“We verify if they have registered nurses and valid licenses to practice, and if a hospital is functioning without nurses, we shut it down. The same applies if they are operating without doctors, as well as with medical laboratories,” Ejike remarked.
