Crossection of participants at the event.

The Honorable Commissioner for Health in Lagos State, Professor Akin Abayomi has commended the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency, HEFAMAA for its quick responses and the significant role it played in the monitoring of health facilities in the State as part of efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19.

Abayomi, who gave the commendation in his welcome address at a recent validation session of the 2021-2025 Strategic Plan for HEFAMAA held in Ikeja advised the Agency to expedite action on the process of appointing franchisee companies to assist HEFAMAA in carrying out the monitoring of public and private health facilities in the State.

Crossection of participants at the event. The Executive Secretary, Dr. Abiola Idowu, sitting.

The Commissioner, who spoke via zoom, stressed the need for the Agency to graduate from licensing and monitoring of health facilities only to assessing the quality of healthcare delivery and quality improvement.

“There is a need for the Agency to graduate from licensing of infrastructure to assessing the quality of healthcare delivery and monitoring of healthcare standards by ensuring the adequacy of records, adequacy of process, good history taking, good examination, appropriate use of diagnostics at the point of care and the correct conclusions, appropriate monitoring of patients to ensure they have responded to treatment and not just subjected to all kinds of unrequired procedures that can lead to increased morbidity or even mortality,” he said.

Crossection of participants at the event.

The Commissioner added, “These would be more achievable when the franchisee companies are brought on-board.”

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He, however, extended appreciations to partners and stakeholders for their support and engagement.

In her welcome remarks, Chairman HEFAMAA Board, Dr Yemisi Solanke Koya who spoke via zoom emphasized the significance of a strategic plan for the Agency which she believed will go a long way in assisting it to achieve its mandate.

Reiterating the importance of the validation session and the role HEFAMAA plays in achieving the vision of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration to strengthen the health of the citizenry, Koya urged participants to contribute meaningfully to engender a robust Strategic Plan that will point the way forward for the Agency in the next five years.

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The Executive Secretary of the Agency, Dr. Abiola Idowu in her remarks explained that the objective of the validation session was to secure key stakeholders buy-in and incorporate feedback into the strategic plan.

She disclosed that new health facilities in the State will have to fulfil all required standards before they commence operations to safeguard the health of the people.

Crossection of participants at the event.

“Facilities should strive to meet the minimum requirements, be inspected and registered before commencing service delivery,” she said
Highlight of the session was a presentation on the summary of discussions and key agreements reached at the strategy session by Mrs. EdirinAkemu of Health Systems Consult Limited (HSCL) – Provider of the technical support for HEFAMAA’s Five-Year Strategic Plan.

The session also agreed that facilities be allowed a maximum of two visits by HEFAMAA inspectors over a period of six months within which they must fulfil the requirements to secure a license failure of which the facility will be shut down.

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It was however clarified that these limits depend on the severity of the infractions noticed by HEFAMAA during the visits.

To fast-track the process, it was agreed that HEFAMAA will carry out inspections within one week of receiving a request for licensing.

In attendance were professional Associations such as the Nigerian Medical Association, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, Association of General Private Nursing Practitioners, Guild of Medical Directors, Association of Radiographers of Nigeria, Federal Ministry of Health as well as representatives of Health Systems Consult Limited.