Lagos doctors accuse state govt officials of high-handedness, assault

Medical practitioners in Lagos State under the aegis of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN) have accused the Lagos State Government of high-handedness and lack of concern for their plight in the wake of alleged incessant assaults by its monitoring agency.

This was contained in a press release issued by the AGPMPN’s Chairman, Lagos Chapter, Makinde Akinlemibola on Tuesday in Lagos.

Akinlemibola, specifically, detailed how officials of the Lagos State Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) allegedly engage in harassment and intimidation of private doctors across the metropolis.

The association, citing a recent incident, narrated how HEFAMAA officials assaulted a 73-year-old medical director of King Solomon Hospital, Anthony, Dr Abiola Oladosu over spurious allegations of absenteeism.

Excerpt from the statement reads, “On November 8, a HEFAMAA team led by the Executive Secretary, Dr Abiola Idowu went to King Solomon’s Hospital in what appeared to be an unannounced routine monitoring exercise.

“Dr Oladosu, out of courtesy, opted to conduct the HEFAMAA team around the facility. The ES alleged that the laboratory was dirty and medical equipment not correctly calibrated, which the medical director directed the laboratory manager (his son) to record for correct compliance.

“On noticing the exercise was being recorded, the ES assaulted the laboratory manager and the medical director, slapping the latter in the process.”

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The AGPMPN said the HEFAMAA team, in collusion with the State Criminal Investigation Department in Panti unlawfully detained Dr Oladosu until he was released several hours later without any criminal charge levelled against him.

Consequently, the association alleged that HEFAMAA has neglected its original mandate while morphing into a revenue-generating agency.

“In a bid to further their revenue drive and the milking of private medical practitioners, we are aware of the agency’s efforts to contract private medical facility monitoring to franchisees who are their concerns and then impose arbitrary fines on hospitals in the name of monitoring, thereafter share the revenue so generated between the agency and the franchisees.

“The question to ask is: which body is responsible for regulating medical practice in Nigeria, MDCN or HEFAMAA?

“The government imposes all sorts of taxes and levies on private hospitals: from LIRS to LASRA, LAWMA MEDICAL et al.”

The association also said that Several entreaties to the authorities had gone unheeded “despite several reach outs to the Lagos State Government through the state Ministry of Health and the Governor, but we are amazed that our pathetic treatments have been swept directly under the carpet.

“The association unequivocally states that we are very uncomfortable with the atmosphere being created by the HEFAMAA’s ES and we are not ready to work with such an unrestrained government official.

“We appeal to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to be well-guided as we have had enough of these undue embarrassments and intimidations.”

Repeated efforts by Ripples Nigeria, through phone calls, email and SMS to get the HEFAMAA Executive Secretary, Dr Idowu to speak on the allegations proved abortive, as she failed to respond as at the time of filing this report.

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