Niger State Private Health Facilities Agency (NiSPHFA) has intensified regulatory oversight of private health institutions to ensure compliance with established standards and improve healthcare service delivery across the state.

The executive chairman of the agency, Suleiman Abdullahi, disclosed this on Tuesday during an inspection tour of private health training institutions and alternative medicine centres in Minna.

Mr Abdullahi said the exercise aimed to ensure that private health institutions produced competent, ethical and qualified professionals capable of delivering quality healthcare services.

He explained that the enforcement drive was not intended to victimise operators but to strengthen collaboration with stakeholders, promote regulatory compliance and raise standards in the private healthcare sector.

According to him, ethics and quality clinical training remain critical to effective healthcare delivery.

Mr Abdullahi said these graduates of health institutions were often the first point of contact for patients.

He directed institutions to submit records of facilities where students undergo clinical training, adding that the agency would work with relevant stakeholders to identify accredited centres for practical learning.

The chairman commended Delight College of Health Sciences and Technology for maintaining quality facilities, describing it as one of the best-equipped private health institutions in the state, and urged its management to sustain the standard.

Also speaking, the director of monitoring and inspection of health institutions and alternative medicine, Alfa Sule, urged institutions to instil discipline, ethics and compassion in students while strengthening security measures for staff and learners.

Mr Sule advised practitioners to comply with regulatory requirements, ensure the authenticity of their products, avoid adulteration and undergo hepatitis screening where necessary.

He also encouraged alternative medicine practitioners to adopt an effective referral system by directing patients to conventional hospitals whenever medical cases exceeded their capacity.

Similarly, the director of operations and inspection, Sadiq Hussain, advised institutions to address issues identified during the inspection, improve emergency preparedness and educate students on safety and security practices.

During visits to Challenge College of Health Sciences and Technology and Crown College of Health Sciences and Technology in Maitumbi, the inspection team identified inadequate facilities.

They also identified a shortage of staff, poorly equipped demonstration rooms and insufficient training equipment.

Mr Abdullahi directed the affected institutions to address the deficiencies, improve hygiene and safety standards and complete their registration with the agency where necessary, warning that persistent non-compliance could attract regulatory sanctions.

The team also inspected Sunnah Islamic Medicine Centre in Minna, where the NiSPHFA chairman urged Islamic and traditional medicine practitioners to register with the agency and uphold hygiene as well as ethical and professional standards.

He said that effective regulation of alternative medicine would enhance public confidence and safeguard public health.

Responding, the executive director of Delight College of Health Sciences and Technology, Ezekiel Maigida, described the inspection as an opportunity to improve standards rather than an act of intimidation.

Mr Maigida reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to regulatory compliance, quality training and the production of competent healthcare professionals.

Also, the managing director of Sunnah Islamic Medicine Centre, Muhammad Usman, commended Governor Umaru Bago for establishing NiSPHFA to regulate private healthcare providers.

Mr Usman pledged the cooperation of alternative medicine practitioners with the agency and called for fairness and transparency in enforcing regulations. He also appealed to the state government to support the growth of alternative medicine as part of efforts to improve healthcare delivery in Niger.

(NAN)