By Kingsley Adegboye

The Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency, HEFAMAA, has taken its battle against quackery in medical practice to Badagry area of Lagos.

The campaign which is the 6th edition of its grassroots town hall meetings is conceived as a one-stop solution to stop quackery in all its ramifications in the Lagos health sector .

“The iniative which commenced in 2013 has been held in Ejigbo LCDA, Ikorodu, Epe and Surulere Local Government areas.

Chairman, HEFAMAA Board Dr. Omotayo Bello, said: “Aside serving as a platform for enlightening stakeholders and the general populace on the functions of HEFAMAA and its resolve to stamp out quackery, these grassroots meetings also serve as interactive fora that elicits ideas and feedbacks to efforts and policy implementation of Lagos State Government in its health sector”.

He said HEFAMAA has also enlisted community members of Badagry to be its eyes and ears at the grassroots level since the quacks and residents live side-by-side in the same community.

HEFAMAA has a specially designed and easily identifiable logo which it allocates to qualified, approved and certified private hospital facilities as part of measures to checkmate activities of quacks and also serve as a pointer to intending patrons.

Bello said suspicious healthcare operators should be reported to HEFAMAA via SMS directly to senior government functionaries listed on the back page of the HEFAMAA handbook.

Among those to be alerted are the Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Health, Dr. Yewande Adesina, 08055329229; Chairman, HEFAMAA Board, Dr. Omotayo Bello, 08037164984 & 08074079350, and Executive Secretary, HEFAMAA, Dr. JGG Asuni, 08023513345 & 08181194707. Information received will be treated in confidence.

Bello called for vigilance, warning that there was no provision in Lagos State health personnel training for Nursing apprentices to be trained by private health facility operators. Private health facility operators caught in the act will not only have their facilities shut and sealed, such facilities are liable to N500,000 fine before re-opening.