HEFAMAA Records 83 % Monitoring Coverage of Health Facilities in 2023
The Executive Secretary of Lagos State Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency, HEFAMAA, Dr. Abiola Idowu has acknowledged the contributions of the various health franchisees engaged by the agency in expanding the scope of monitoring and compliance by operators of both public and private health facilities in the state.
Speaking during a training program for the franchisees in Alausa, Ikeja, Dr. Idowu revealed that about 83% of health facilities in the state were covered in 2023 during the routine compliance monitoring of health facilities.
She stated further that the improvement was made possible as a result of the engagement of the franchisees, adding that they have justified their engagement.
“Before we decided to engage franchisees to complement our efforts in monitoring and compliance, we realized that we could only achieve below 50% coverage of health facilities in Lagos. This does not only negate the provisions of the 2006 Health Sector Reform Law but will also hinder the attainment of quality health care delivery to the residents,” she explained.
While stating that the target of HEFAMAA is to record 100% coverage and compliance in line with the law, Dr Idowu said that the agency had further increased the number of its franchisees to achieve total coverage of all health facilities in the state by the end of 2024.
“As stated in the 2006 Health Sector Reform Law, the relevant government agencies or their franchisees must be able to tour all health facilities under their jurisdiction at least twice a year or quarterly. Before we engaged the franchisees, HEFAMAA could only visit these health facilities once a year, and in some cases, quite a few health facilities are not visited,” she explained.
She added that the reports and feedback from the franchisees made it possible for the state government to know the real situation of the various health facilities, including their staff strength, qualification of health personnel, and available medical equipment, among others.
The Executive Secretary explained that the training would further expose them, especially the newly engaged franchisees, to the monitoring processes, procedures, and Hefamaa standards and also introduce them to the relevant sections of the Health Sector Reform Law.
She explained that the training would afford the franchisees a deeper understanding of the monitoring protocols, assessment criteria, and quality standards set by the agency to enhance the overall quality of healthcare services provided by health facilities and ensure the well-being of patients.
“By maintaining a robust monitoring system, HEFAMAA aims to identify areas for improvement, address any deficiencies, and ultimately enhance the quality of healthcare services across Lagos State,” Dr Idowu added.
One of the franchisees, Mr Tunde Oladapo Dickson, said that despite the efforts of the agency, there was still a need for the agency to collaborate with franchisee organisations for a more effective and efficient monitoring exercise.
He explained that the exercise has unraveled some unethical practices in the health sector by unregistered practitioners and highlighted the need for the government to sanction unprofessional conduct in the profession.
He said, “What Hefamaa is doing is a good step in the right direction. The agency has attested to the visible difference seen since we, the franchisees, came on board last year. I am also hopeful that with the joint efforts of Hefamaa, total sanity will be restored to the health sector.”
Another franchisee representing Eclat, Dr. Adaku Udeaja, observed that the rate at which professional medical practitioners are leaving the country for greener pastures in other countries is alarming and calls for concern.
She said that the development must be urgently addressed as it is taking its toll on the number of available certified health professionals in most of the health facilities visited.
Highlights of the event were presentations by Dr. Olayinka Daniel on HEFAMAA’s Facility Assessment Tools; Mrs. Oluwakemi Oluyoyin on HEFAMAA’s Health Care Standards; Mrs.Antonia Oredipe on Health Sector Reform Law Related to HEFAMAA; Dr. Godswill Iboma on Filing of Notices and Documentation; Mrs. Titilayo Oluwole on Overview of HEFAMAA; and Mrs. Omonike Oladunni on Demonstration of Monitoring Process.