No fewer than 26 unlicensed private hospitals have been shut down in Ogun State due to their refusal to register or re-validate their facilities.
The hospitals were said to have violated the state’s Private Hospitals and other Health Establishments Registration Edict of 1988.
The permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Nafiu Aigoro, who led the Monitoring Team of the Department of Hospital Services, ordered the closure of an additional six hospitals in Odeda and Abeokuta South.
Aigoro said that the measure to close down the defaulting private hospitsls was taken in the interest of the people.
The permanent secretary, who was represented by Dr. Solomon Shokunbi, said record had shown that maternal mortality death was on the increase in the state due to the activities of quacks in the health sector.
He added that out of the over 1000 private hospitals rendering health care services in the state, more than half of them had yet to register or re-validate their facilities.
Aigoro said the enforcement was not targeted at a particular set of people or facilities, but to ascertain the compliance level with the exercise and shut down those who refused to register or re-validate their facilities,
According to him, “The monitoring team has shut down the total number of 19 private health facilities in Ijebu North, Ijebu Ode, Abeokuta South, Abeokuta North, Imeko Afon and the six recently shut down in Odeda L.G. The exercise will continue until the 20 LGs across the State are well covered’’.
Appreciating the Oni Meko of Imeko Land, Oba Oyediran Olanite, for supporting the state government towards eradicating quackery in the state health sector, Aigoro said government would not hesitate to pursue any measure to enhance good and qualitative healthcare service delivery .
