Private Doctors Urge Sanwo-Olu to Call HEFEMAA to Order over Misconducts

Rebecca Ejifoma

Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN) has urged the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to look into the unprofessional conducts meted out on them by the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA).

This was brought to the fore during a media parley at the AGPMPN’s secretariat in Surulere area of the state.

Some of their complaints included unending harassment, intimidation, assault, threats, and extortion among others of their AGPMPN members.

The Chairman of the Association, Dr. Makinde Akinlemibola, told newsmen of deliberate attempts by HEFEMAA to suppress private medical practice.

He recalled: “Firstly, let it be known that HEFAMAA was the brainchild of private medical practitioners in Lagos to curb quackery. It was later commissioned with an enabling law by the government.”

As a result, Akinlemibola admitted that doctors would hint the agency on operations of quacks. “However at a point, the agency began to disclose the identities of such doctors to the quacks who then attacked them.”

Following such an appalling misconduct, the chairman noted that some doctors received death threats while some were not so lucky, hence, doctors quit laying such complaints to the government agency.

One of such incidents the association raised concerns over is the alleged assault of its member and elderly doctor. 73-years-old Medical Director of King Solomon Hospital in Anthony Village, Dr Abiola Oladosu, was said to have been a victim.

According to the medical practitioner, officials of HEFEMAA had visited his hospital laboratory unannounced on November 8 this year when the unfortunate incident occurred.

Akinlemibola further bemoaned that rather than be on the tail of quacks, the Agency now sees innocent qualified and licensed medical practitioners as victims to intimidate, harass, and extort.

“We as private medical doctors say no to all the debasement of our practices and indeed the health sector.

“A situation that has brought so low as to being physically assaulted by officers of a government monitoring agency is totally unacceptable,” the doctor warned.

The chairman alongside other board members present, therefore, called on Sanwo-Olu to look into the constant malpractices by the monitoring body.