The Lagos State Government has intensified its efforts to eliminate medical quackery, launching a renewed public health campaign to protect residents from unlicensed clinics and unqualified practitioners. The initiative was highlighted at a sensitisation and town hall meeting in Mushin, organised by the Lagos State Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA).
Addressing participants at the event themed “The Roles and Responsibilities of HEFAMAA in Lagos State,” the agency’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Abiola Idowu, represented by Dr. Olonire Olufemi, Head of Research and Statistics, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to ensuring safe, quality health care for all Lagosians.
“Our mandate is to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare service delivery,” Dr. Idowu said. “We are not an arm of the police or an enemy of health providers. Our message is simple: meet the required standards and register your facilities.”
Residents were educated on how to identify state-approved health centres, which must display the HEFAMAA logo, registration certificate, and a QR code that enables real-time verification and feedback. Dr. Idowu urged Lagosians to report any facility operating without a license, employing unqualified staff, or maintaining poor hygiene standards.
“We want people to report illegal training of auxiliary nurses, use of substandard equipment, and any facility that poses risks to public health,” she added.
Community participation was strong, with health professionals, market leaders, and local residents pledging support for the campaign. “This programme is timely and enlightening,” a participant noted. “Residents can now identify safe hospitals, and community leaders will help spread the message across every ward.”
Also speaking, Richard Olusanya, Chief Nutrition Officer at HEFAMAA, traced the agency’s formation in 2006 to the rise of unsafe and unregulated medical practices in Lagos.
“Quackery remains a serious public health threat, especially in low-income areas where people seek cheaper but dangerous alternatives,” he said. “We still encounter individuals claiming to treat everything from eyes to pregnancies, that’s not healthcare, that’s fraud.”
Olusanya clarified that while clinics have limited operating hours, only hospitals are licensed to run 24-hour services, warning residents that any facility operating beyond its approved scope may be unregistered or unsafe.
The Lagos State Government reaffirmed its commitment to working with community leaders, health professionals, and residents to strengthen oversight and ensure access to safe, reliable healthcare across the state.
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