FCTA Seals Off Health Facilities Over Poor Services

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), has sealed off two health facilities for providing services below the recommended standards within the nation’s capital..

It was observed that during the operations, the FCTA officials were harassed by local security outfit and police officers in River Park estate, in the Lugbe area of the capital city in the process of doing their job.

The incident took place when the Private Health establishments registration and monitoring committee (PHERMC), under the Department of Medical and Diagnostics, embarked on the first day of the three-day monitoring tour of health facilities in Abuja.

Speaking to newsmen after the exercise, the registrar of PHERMC, Dr Ayuba Kazzah, who led the team said the facilities were sealed off because they were found to be performing below the recommended standard as well as rendering services beyond the scope approved for them.

He said the purpose of the visit was to ascertain the level of compliance of health facilities in the FCTA to the new minimum guidelines set for them as a prerequisite to get full registration.

“The purpose of the tour is to see our registered facilities and assess their level of compliance to the minimum guidelines set for them for registration, to see if they can be given full registration because at present they are on provisional registration.

“Government is doing her best, it is just that the government cannot do everything, but having observed that, we make recommendations whereby the government also needs to be there. 

As you know, as a government we also invite people to partner with us, so whoever can support the government should support the government to get this thing done.

“We promote the private health facilities, to cover for the places the government cannot reach as you could see, we are trying to encourage those in those remote areas and you could see the help they are offering in those communities,” he said.

Owner of one of the affected facilities, Rhoda Michael Adiya told newsmen; “The place is closed down because of the advert posted on our wall advertising for staff beyond our scope of operation and lack of control when we compare the tests and results,” she said.