Delta Government Shuts Down 18 Illicit Private Healthcare Clinics And Fines N5m

AS part of its attempts to sanitize the operations of private healthcare facilities, the Delta State government sealed eighteen facilities on Wednesday, April 9.

Dr. Joseph Onojaeme, the Delta state commissioner for health, discovered that the sealed facilities were not compliant with the law during a monitoring and inspection visit.

He said that before opening for business, all private healthcare institutions must register with the ministry in accordance with the Private Healthcare institutions Law, which was passed in May 2019.

Dr. Onojaeme reaffirmed that no individual or organization has the authority to run a private healthcare institution without the required registration, as indicated by Dr. Mathew Anibor, Deputy Director of Medical Services and Training.

The government's dedication to enforcing legal compliance and upholding standards in the private healthcare industry, as well as to protecting public health and safety, is demonstrated by the closure of these establishments.

He said, “This exercise is on-going, as more unscheduled visits would be made to other registered facilities to ascertain their status with respect to annual renewal fees. Yesterday, we were in Ughelli and today we are working in Warri and its environs and intend to move to Sapele, Oghara, Agbor, Asaba among other major towns in the state, not excluding the rural areas.

“The premises were sealed as a result of the facilities not being registered to operate as private healthcare facility by the ministry, default in payment of annual renewal fees, as well as those facilities employing and training auxiliary nurses, among other offences.

“We want to use this medium to advise private healthcare facilities operating in the state to do the needful by registering their facilities with the Ministry of Health and also urged residents to report any facilities which they suspect are involved in unwholesome practices.”

A variety of institutions, including clinics, maternity homes, labs, eye clinics, and traditional birth attendant homes, were inspected during the tour.

The commissioner made clear that there might be fines of up to N5,000,000. Alternatively, there may be a minimum six-month jail sentence and a maximum one-year sentence for these infractions.