Nasarawa State government has closed 109 health facilities found to be operating illegally across the 13 local government areas of the state.
Dr Haruna Ekom, Director of Clinical Service in the state Ministry of Health, disclosed this to newsmen on Wednesday in Lafia.
According to him, 89 of the facilities were shut down in Karu local government area alone, with 20 others located across the other 12 local government areas.
Ekom said that most of the facilities were operating without the necessary approval from the state government, while others defaulted in renewing their operating licence.
He said that the government’s action was based on information gathered from the various locations as well as on-the-spot assessment by the inspectorate team from the ministry.
“The essence is to ensure that health facilities operate according to standard. This way, we can check unwholesome practices and activities of quacks in the sector, thereby safeguarding the lives of the people.
“We always get reports of illegal health facilities, personnel operating beyond the scope of their training leading to complication and deaths,” Ekom said.
He said that the ministry would not relent in sanitising the sector by ensuring strict adherence to standards in line with global best practice.
