By Chioma Onuegbu

Uyo —Akwa Ibom State stakeholders have faulted the bill sponsored by members of state House of Assembly seeking the provision of a law to control private hospitals in the state.

The stakeholders drawn from different sectors, who made the observation, yesterday, at a one-day public hearing organised by the House Committee on Health, however, commended the two bills seeking the establishment of Primary Healthcare Development Agency and the Health Insurance Scheme in the state respectively.

Speaking, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dominic Ukpong, explained that the private member bill seeking control of private hospitals in Akwa Ibom was poorly researched.

Ukpong, who demanded that thorough research should be carried out on the bill, added: “We request the stand down of the bill for today and I will crave your indulgence to re-submit this bill after it must have been duly researched.”

File Photo: Cross section of House of Representatives members at the National Assembly in Abuja Photo : Gbemiga Olamikan

According to the Head of Service, Mrs. Ekerebong Akpan, it became important to stand down the bill as it lacked appropriate inputs from experts.

Her words: “We know what is going on with the practice of medicine from the private hospital perspective. It is good to streamline same, but we have to do it the right way. The  Federal Government has set up an agency for the regulation of the practice, so the statutory agency, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, should be asked to make input into the bill.”

In his contribution, Chairman, Local Government Service Commission,and retired Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Valentine Attah, said though the Primary Healthcare Development Agency bill was seven years late, its benefits cannot be over-emphasized.

Meanwhile, the stakeholders generally commended the committee for it role in working for the interest of the people of the state through keying into the vision of the Udom Emmanuel’s administration.

The proposed law to control Private Hospitals in the state was sponsored by Aniekan Uko, member representing Ibesikpo Asutan State Constituency, while the two bills seeking the establishment of Primary Health Care Development Agency and the Health Insurance Scheme in the State were sponsored by the Speaker, Mr Onofiok Luke.