Daily Independent (Lagos)
Victor Ebimomi
19 November 2008
Lagos — Illegality seems to be a way of life for some people. That is why today it is common to hear phrases, such as 'illegal schools', 'illegal structures' and 'illegal documents' among other illegalities. Curiously, the illegal acts have been stretched to an unexpected arena; a place where the sanctity of human lives are expected to be well protected. Yes, there exist illegal hospitals!
The operators of these illegal health facilities have been in the trade for a long time playing dangerous gamble with the lives of their fellow human beings instead of protecting them. But now, their cups seem to be full, at least going by the renewed battle by the Lagos State Government to checkmate such health facilities. The crusade actually started months ago, but there was a lull at a point, making the perpetrators to think that the state authorities had abandoned the battle and so continued with their dubious act. But on Monday, the authorities jolted them, as the government descended on some hospitals at Ijaye and its environs.
The operation, which was conducted by officials of state's Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA), led to the closure of four hospitals while some others were seriously cautioned about the 'anger to come' should they fail to live up to expectation within the shortest possible term. Those affected included Olaoluwa Medical Clinic (convalescent centre) Abule-Egba; Ebenezer Faith Medical Centre and Maternity Home, Alagbado and Mankind's Medical Centre, Meiran. Bepo Exact Medical Diagnostic Centre, Ijaye, also came under the sledgehammer.
These facilities were accused of breaching the professional standard required of them, as they thrived in illegal practices. According to HEFAMAA, Olaoluwa Medical Clinic and Mankind's Medical Centre were closed because they were operating without a single qualified nurse but rather preferred using of auxiliary nurses, some of who head the hospitals' nursing units and also train other nurses. Bepo Exact on its part went beyond its 'brief' by carrying out embalmment contrary to medical practice.
Chairman of monitoring agency, Dr. Bambo Oyekan, condemned the practice whereby auxiliary nurses are engaged to carry out services that are strictly meant for qualified nurses. This, he noted, does not only bring the medical profession into disrepute but endangers the lives of innocent people.
"We at HEFAMAA found out that lives are being lost and people's lives are no longer safe. So we felt we should close them down. HEFAMAA will not allow them to operate without adequate staff," he said, adding that some of the trained auxiliary nurses are even now in the habit of ending up establishing their own clinics, claiming to be professionals. This set of 'professionals' are indeed everywhere in the state, nay Nigeria, thereby raising the tempo of danger that people are exposed to whenever they go on medical visits.
Many people have hailed the renewed clampdown, maintaining that life is too precious to play with.
"The government should not relent in flushing out the quacks. The Nigeria Medical Association should also come down heavily on members who compromise standard because they are dealing with lives, human lives for that matter," said Michael Somidele, a businessman, who said one of his friends' kids was a victim of quackery, which caused one of his legs to remain partially paralysed till today after taking an injection.
He maintained that many people have fallen victims to quacks parading as professionals but hastened to add that that poverty could not be ruled out of the reasons why some people fall victims.
"Although it may not be easy to identify incompetent medical personnel, it is easy to know good hospitals, so if you can afford it, you will be there rather than go to the substandard ones," he said.
Also speaking in the same vein, Lucky Uduikhue, the managing director of Datapoint Microsystem, Apapa, Lagos, did not only hail the move, he also called for the constant retraining of the real professionals to keep them abreast of the technologically changing world.
"It is a good idea because life is involved. Nobody knows who will be a victim of those unqualified people. I will suggest that measures should be put in place to retrain those already trained, that is the so-called professionals, because of the new medical equipment coming up daily as a result of advancement in technology," he said, adding that diagnostic centres should be sanctioned equally like the hospitals because there abound many incompetent hands there as well.
He however maintained that since health is wealth, conscious efforts should made to ensure that Nigerians get what obtains in other civilised society, adding that since the world has become a global village, the country can't be operating in isolation.
But in the words of Dr. Victor Ade, the Chief Medical Director of Tin Can Hospitals, Lagos, whatever problem Nigerians are facing in the health sector boils down to the type of government in the country. According to him, the health sector is not yet given the type of prominence it deserves in the national affairs, and as a result, the "health care of an average Nigerian is more risky than it was 10 years ago".
He maintained that quackery or not, sanitation in the system is desirable, emphasising that though the whole thing might look hazy for now, the country would get out of it, even as he lamented that countries that were once in the same pedestal with the country have since left Nigeria behind in many aspects of life.
"Every society gets what it wants. Good governance is all we need, then other things will follow," he assured.
Mrs. Modupe Simon could not but concur with the view of Dr. Ade, as she argued that lack of affordable health facility facilitates the patronage being enjoyed by the illegal or sub-standard hospitals. To her, government at all levels should give priority to the health sector by making public health centres easily accessible to the poor masses. " If they build enough health centres, nobody will patronise the substandard hospitals," she said.
Investigations revealed the preponderance of these medics with their so-called hospitals in the slums across the state. Some are operating in an environment so unkempt that it can even compound the problems of their patients.
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