The Nasarawa State Government says it would soon establish a private Health Institution Management Agency to regulate the activities of private healthcare facilities with a view to tackling quackery in the sector.
Dr Gaza Gwamna, Nasarawa State Commissioner for Health, announced this on Monday in Lafia during a ministerial briefing organised Dr. Ibrahim Tanko, Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism, to enable government officials to showcase their achievements.
The Health Commissioner said that already the bill for the establishment of the agency was before the House of Assembly for legislative process and when finally passed and assented to, it would go a long way to address quackery in the sector.
He noted that the agency, when in place, would address the cases of quackery in healthcare delivery and drug administration.
He attributed some of the cases of complications and even deaths resulting from treatment in the medical facilities to the activities of quacks and promised that the ministry would not stop until it rid the state of quackery.
”The bill is also to ensure proper monitoring and regulations of the private health centres in the state with a view to ensuring strict compliance with the international best standard, guidelines and operation,” Gwamna added.
The Commissioner further explained that affordable and accessible healthcare delivery was one of the topmost priorities of the Gov. Abdullahi Sule-led administration, because health is wealth.
He further disclosed that the government had offered automatic employment to 272 graduates of Nasarawa State College of Nursing Sciences, Lafia, who had graduated in 2025, to address the manpower shortage.
“The state is planning to offer employment to fresh graduates of medical sciences, including Doctors, immediately after they graduate to address manpower gaps in the sector,” he added.
Dr Gwamna also said that the state was still experiencing high maternal mortality in Keffi and Nasarawa Local Government Areas of the state.
He attributed it to the attitude of some women towards antenatal care and the attitude of some healthcare workers and advised that they attend antenatal from the early stage of pregnancy to delivery.
He explained that the governor had approved the upgrade of the Primary Healthcare Centre, Assakio in Lafia to a General Hospital to offer secondary services.
The Commissioner also said that the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital would take off in Akwanga as soon as the Federal Government take over the payment of the salaries of the staff of the Federal University of Lafia Teaching Hospital.
“The bill establishing the Specialist Hospital is currently undergoing amendments at the House of Assembly, and once it is passed and assented to, it would be a boost to the relocation,” he added.
The health commissioner also said that the government had deployed healthcare workers to the 147 electoral wards of the state to monitor and report any outbreak of diseases for prompt response to avoid escalation.
On his part, Tanko Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism said that the explained that his ministry had created a lot of avenues, including the ministerial briefing, to enlighten, educate and inform the public about the policies, programmes and projects embarked on the state government.
He used the medium to appeal to the public, especially the youth, to desist from drug abuse and self-medication to avoid complications and deaths.
He explained that the state has a lot of medical facilities and urged the public to visit any in case of any health challenge instead of self-medication, which would lead to complications at the end. (NAN).