A hospital in Benin City, Edo State, has been shut down after allegedly operating for more than 10 years without statutory registration.
The facility was sealed by the Edo State Healthcare Regulation and Monitoring Agency (EDOHERMA) after officials discovered that it was neither registered with the Edo State Ministry of Health nor with EDOHERMA.
The shocking discovery was made during a monitoring visit to an orphanage located in the same building as the hospital.
EDOHERMA Chief Executive Officer, Dr Adesuwa Urhoghide-Edigin, said she confronted the hospital owner during the visit and was told that the facility had never been registered with the state government.
The owner reportedly argued that he was a member of the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMP).
But EDOHERMA dismissed the claim, stressing that membership of a professional association does not amount to government registration or approval to operate a healthcare facility.
A subsequent inspection led by the agency’s Director of Medical Services, Dr Peter Evbuomwan, uncovered a catalogue of problems at the hospital.
Among the findings were poor infection-control practices, cobweb-covered ceilings and walls, rusted and deteriorating medical equipment, badly damaged mattresses and no evidence of routine fumigation or pest control.
The hospital was also found without a valid fire extinguisher, emergency preparedness plan or an established referral system.
The operator reportedly told inspectors that ill health had prevented him from completing the registration process.
EDOHERMA, however, maintained that the facility had continued to operate for years and was therefore expected to comply with all statutory requirements governing healthcare facilities.
Concerned about the potential danger to patients, the agency ordered the hospital to stop all medical operations immediately.
The facility was given two weeks to commence the formal EDOHERMA registration process and rectify the identified infrastructural, environmental, equipment and safety deficiencies.
EDOHERMA said inspectors would return to assess compliance and warned that the hospital would remain closed until it meets all applicable regulatory requirements.
Urhoghide-Edigin said patient safety remained the agency’s top priority, insisting that no healthcare facility would be allowed to compromise health, sanitary and operational standards in Edo State.
The agency also warned private hospital and clinic operators across the state that ANPMP membership does not constitute government approval.
According to EDOHERMA, statutory registration is mandatory to ensure that healthcare facilities operate in suitable environments, provide services within approved scopes and employ appropriately qualified personnel.
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