THE Edo State government only 10% of the state’s over 7,000 private healthcare facilities are listed as registered with the Edo State Ministry of Health.
This information was revealed by Governor Godwin Obaseki, over the weekend in Benin City at the inauguration of the five-member monitoring committee for the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
He added that the committee will play a crucial part in reconsidering the role of the government in providing healthcare in the state. He claimed that his administration is undertaking a comprehensive reform of the health system.
The governor said, “Current data shows that we have over 7,000 private health facilities in Edo State which include hospitals, medical centres, nursing homes, laboratories, pharmacies, patent medicines stores, amongst others.
“Sadly, out of this number, only about 730 are currently registered with the Edo State Ministry of Health which stands at about 10 per cent.
He continued, “This committee will be pivotal in the implementation of some aspects of our health transformational agenda. The medical practice we inherited from the colonial masters was the one which combined both the functions of regulations and operations at that time.
“Government in the past had the responsibility of regulation and providing medical services at the same time, but that has changed over the years. Now the government is no longer the prime provider of medical services. There are more services provided in the medical space by private individuals than government”.
He added that unlicensed mortuaries would not be permitted to operate in the state and that the state would no longer tolerate the situation in which patients died in hospitals without a proper inquiry to determine the reason of their deaths.
He listed the terms of reference for the committee, which included, among other things, making sure that any individual conducting clinical activities in Edo State is properly registered and licensed by MDCN, reporting any instances of unethical practices and behavior to MDCN, and reporting quack medicine to law enforcement agencies in the State.
In response, Dr. Edward Aisowieren, Chairman of the Committee and Director of Medical Services for the Edo State Ministry of Health, pledged to uphold the Committee’s mandate and restore sanity to the healthcare system.
