By Awwal Umar Kontagora The Niger State Private Health Facilities Agency (NiSPHFA) has intensified its regulatory oversight of p...
The Niger State Private Health Facilities Agency (NiSPHFA) has intensified its regulatory oversight of private health training institutions and alternative medicine centres as part of efforts to improve healthcare service delivery across the state.
Speaking during a familiarisation and inspection tour of health institutions in Minna, the Executive Chairman of the Agency, Dr. Suleiman Abdullahi, said the exercise was aimed at ensuring that health institutions produce competent, ethical, and qualified healthcare professionals capable of meeting the healthcare needs of the people of Niger State.
Dr. Abdullahi commended Delight College of Health Sciences and Technology, describing it as one of the best-equipped private health training institutions in the state. He explained that the Agency's visit was not intended to witch-hunt operators but to strengthen collaboration, address misconceptions about health institutions, and promote higher standards through effective regulation.
He urged the management of the college to sustain its impressive performance, stressing that graduates of health institutions often serve as the first point of contact for patients and therefore must be adequately trained.
The Executive Chairman further emphasised that ethical conduct and quality clinical training remain fundamental to effective healthcare delivery. He directed all institutions to submit records of the healthcare facilities where their students undertake clinical postings, adding that the Agency would collaborate with relevant stakeholders to identify accredited institutions for practical training. He also inspected various facilities within the college to assess the quality of its training infrastructure.
Also speaking during the visit, the Director of Monitoring and Inspection of Health Institutions and Alternative Medicine, Dr. Alfa Sule, urged institutions to instil ethics, discipline, and compassion in their students while strengthening security measures for both staff and students.
Similarly, the Director of Operations and Inspection, Dr. Sadiq Hussain, stressed that ethical standards should never be compromised. He advised the institutions to address observations made during the inspection, improve emergency preparedness, and educate students on security and safety practices.
Responding, the Executive Director of Delight College of Health Sciences and Technology, Ambassador Ezekiel Christopher Maigida, welcomed the inspection, describing it as a constructive exercise aimed at improving standards rather than intimidating operators. He stated that the institution complies with regulatory requirements, maintains strict discipline, collaborates with security agencies, and remains committed to producing competent healthcare professionals.
The inspection team also visited Challenge College of Health Sciences and Technology and Crown College of Health Sciences and Technology, both located in Maitumbi, where Dr. Abdullahi expressed concern over inadequate infrastructure, shortage of qualified staff, poorly equipped demonstration rooms, and insufficient teaching equipment.
He directed the institutions to address the identified deficiencies, improve hygiene and safety standards, and complete their registration with the Agency where necessary. He warned that persistent non-compliance with regulatory requirements could attract appropriate sanctions.
The team further inspected Sunnah Islamic Medicine Centre in Minna, where Dr. Abdullahi urged practitioners of Islamic and traditional medicine to register with the Agency and uphold high standards of hygiene, ethics, and professional practice. He noted that effective regulation would strengthen public confidence in alternative medicine while safeguarding the health of citizens.
Speaking at the centre, Dr. Sadiq Hussain called on practitioners to comply with established regulations, ensure the authenticity of their products, avoid adulteration, and undergo hepatitis screening where necessary.
In the same vein, Dr. Alfa Sule encouraged practitioners to embrace an effective referral system by directing patients to conventional healthcare facilities whenever medical conditions exceed their scope of practice.
In his remarks, the Managing Director of Sunnah Islamic Medicine Centre, Dr. Muhammad Rabiu Usman, commended Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago for establishing NiSPHFA to regulate private healthcare providers in the state. He pledged the cooperation of alternative medicine practitioners with the Agency, called for fairness and transparency in the enforcement of regulations, disclosed that his centre refers complicated cases to conventional hospitals when necessary, and appealed to the government to continue supporting the development of alternative medicine as part of efforts to improve healthcare delivery in Niger State.
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