State Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris

The Lagos State Government says it is introducing e-Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA), to ease registration of facilities and health service delivery.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, who disclosed this in Lagos, said that HEFAMAA is a technological-based platform.

Idris said that the technology would offer a robust complaint mechanism where members of the public could channel their grievances directly to the agency for prompt actions and solutions.

“I have no doubt that the e-platform will make the operations of HEFAMAA less cumbersome, while also availing facilities and members of the public the opportunity to interface with the agency seamlessly.

“Indeed, e-HEFAMAA will give the agency a leverage to improve on its mandate and broaden access to its various services by the public. I assure Lagosians that they should expect effective and quick service delivery from the agency,” he said.

The commissioner said that the government planned to reposition and re-energize HEFAMAA for quick and efficient service delivery, in order to curb quackery and ensure qualitative health care delivery to Lagosians.

He explained that the re-organisation became necessary in order to improve the quality and ease of access of services rendered by the agency.

According to him, part of the revitalisation exercise includes mapping-out of all health facilities in the state based on geographical location and services rendered, for efficient and effective monitoring and supervision.

“Such is crucial in combating quackery and detecting unregistered facilities in the State. The leadership of the agency will be invigorated for optimal performance and achievements of set goals, especially in its mandate to eliminate quackery, illegal operations of facilities and other acts which contravene the state’s Health law,” he said.

Idris said that HEFAMAA had, in March 2019, sealed not less than 10 facilities for reasons bordering on unprofessionalism as well as lack of required and qualified manpower.

Other reasons according to the commissioner include unavailability of relevant equipment, poor environmental sanitation and other related infractions.

He urged the public not to patronise any health facility not bearing the HEFAMAA logo.

The commissioner also urged the public to channel complaints and petitions in respect of unprofessional conduct by health care providers or health facilities to the HEFAMAA Office, Room 514, Ministry of Health, Alausa, Ikeja.

“Please note that HEFAMAA is empowered to seal any unregistered health facility. To this end, members of the public in their own interest are hereby advised not to patronise any health facility that is not accredited by the agency. Registered health facilities can be recognised by the HEFAMAA Logo”, Idris said. (NAN)