By Chioma Obinna

The Association of General Private Nursing Practitioners of Nigeria, AGPNP, has urged the Senate to reject the proposed National Health Facility Regulatory Agency of Nigeria, NHFRA, Bill, warning that its passage would trigger fresh inter-professional conflict, duplicate the functions of existing regulatory bodies and further weaken Nigeria’s already fragile healthcare system.

Presenting a memorandum before the Senate Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary) during the public hearing on the bill in Abuja, the association argued that establishing another federal regulatory agency would create unnecessary bureaucracy, undermine the constitutional powers of states and erode the statutory autonomy of healthcare professions, particularly nursing.

The memorandum, signed by the National President of AGPNP, Mr. Balogun Ajiboye, urged lawmakers to reject the bill in its entirety rather than amend it.

“The bill should not be passed into law in its current form or intent,” the association stated.

“If the bill is passed, the agency would unnecessarily duplicate functions already vested by statute in existing regulatory bodies, encroach upon the constitutional responsibilities of state governments and has the potential to undermine the statutory autonomy of established healthcare professions, increasing inter-professional crisis. The risks would do more harm than good to Nigeria’s already fragile healthcare regulatory landscape.”

The association maintained that Nigeria already has well-established regulatory institutions, including the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, as well as state ministries of health, all of which perform licensing, inspection, accreditation and enforcement responsibilities.

According to AGPNP, the proposed agency would merely replicate these functions while increasing regulatory bottlenecks and financial burdens on both government and private healthcare providers.
Rather than improving healthcare standards, the association warned that the bill could promote regulatory conflicts, encourage quackery and deepen professional rivalry within the health sector.

“It is our view that the regulation, licensing, monitoring, inspection and enforcement relating to health facilities operating within a state are matters best administered by the respective regulatory bodies and state governments, which possess a better understanding of local healthcare needs and priorities,” the memorandum added.

The group also opposed provisions it said would subject nursing practice to the supervision of another healthcare profession, insisting that such provisions violate existing laws establishing the autonomy of the nursing profession.

According to the association, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria remains the only statutory body empowered to regulate nursing education and practice in the country.

It recalled that a Lagos State High Court had, in 2016, affirmed the council’s exclusive regulatory powers after a legal challenge instituted by the association against similar provisions.

“Professional collaboration among healthcare practitioners is indispensable for effective patient care; however, collaboration must never be construed as professional subordination,” it said.

The association further argued that healthcare regulation is a shared constitutional responsibility involving the federal, state and local governments under the National Health Act 2014, warning against what it described as attempts to centralise powers through another federal agency.

It urged the National Assembly to strengthen existing health regulatory institutions instead of creating another bureaucracy, preserve the constitutional responsibilities of state governments in regulating health facilities, and establish a Health Bank to provide intervention funding for the health sector.

While acknowledging the intentions behind the proposed legislation, AGPNP insisted that the bill would not improve healthcare quality or facility monitoring.

“Looking critically into some provisions of the proposed bill, one may be tempted to conclude that it was not meant to improve standards or monitoring of health facilities, but to lord medical practitioners over other professionals in the health sector or, at best, legalise selective harassment of private healthcare providers,” AGPNP stated.