The Kano State Government has shut down more than 35 private health facilities in the past 12 months over regulatory violations, including operating without licences and employing unqualified personnel.
The Acting Director-General of the Kano State Private Health Institutions Management Agency, Hajiya Khadijah Sa’id, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Kano on Tuesday.
Sa’id, who is also the agency’s Director of Administration and General Services, said more than 100 facilities had been sanctioned for various offences, while those found guilty of serious violations were shut down.
She said the enforcement measures were aimed at ensuring compliance with healthcare standards and protecting residents from unsafe medical practices.
According to her, routine inspections uncovered offences including operating without valid licences, failing to renew annual registration and employing unqualified staff.
Sa’id explained that some facilities were temporarily closed to allow their operators to correct identified lapses before reopening.
However, facilities found guilty of serious breaches could be permanently delisted, with their proprietors barred from registering another facility using their professional licences.
She said the agency was working with other government bodies and security operatives to identify and shut down illegal health facilities across the state.
Sa’id cited the case of a clinic that had been sealed and delisted by the agency but later reopened at another location. The facility was subsequently identified by an inter-agency task force established by Governor Abba Yusuf.
She said the agency was strengthening inspections across Kano’s 44 local government areas to ensure compliance with licensing requirements and professional standards.
PHIMA’s regulatory responsibilities cover private hospitals, clinics, nursing and maternity homes, diagnostic laboratories, dental centres, beauty salons, spas, fitness centres and practitioners of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine.
The acting director-general said additional funding and operational vehicles would help the agency expand its inspection coverage and improve enforcement.
She urged private healthcare operators to obtain the necessary licences, renew their registrations on time and ensure that only qualified personnel provide medical services.
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