By ALEX ENEBELI

The Enugu State Government on Wednesday sealed unregistered hospitals and pharmaceutical stores in Enugu and Nsukka areas of the state to safeguard public health.

The health facilities were sealed during a two-day Monitoring Exercise of the Expanded Joint Inspectorate of the State Ministry of Health, Regulatory Bodies and Associations of medical health groups in Enugu.

The Director, Medical Services, Enugu State Ministry of Health, Dr Sam Egwuonwu, said the exercise was to fish out hospitals that had not registered with the state?s Ministry of Health but were operating.

He disclosed that the operation also involved those who had not renewed their annual registration fee.

According to him, the monitoring yielded fruits as they sealed more than six private hospitals and health institutions.

?It was joint inspection of all the stakeholders in the health sector in Enugu such as the Nigeria Medical Association, Medical and Dental Midwifery, Laboratory Councils, Association of Nurses, Pharmacists in Enugu, Civil Society Organisations, Police and Media.

?We have two teams, one in Enugu the capital and another in Nsukka. The idea is to make all the private health facilities in the state legal and ensured they register with the Ministry of Health.

?And if you register and did not renew, your operation that year is illegal and by making them register will reduce quackery in the state and generate revenue for the government, Egwuonwu explained.

He assured of the prioritisation of people?s health, adding that the task force would ensure that hospitals in the state practice according to approved standards.

Earlier, the state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Emmanuel Obi, said the exercise was to optimise healthcare delivery and reduce fatalities linked to illegal operations.

Obi added that the team would inspect healthcare facilities in both urban and rural areas.

He urged residents to verify the status of any health facility before patronising them.

Comrade Innocent Ejike, an official of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Enugu Chapter, said the association also checked if the nurses and other medical personnel were qualified and registered.

?On our own, we check if they have registered nurses and practicing licenses and if hospital is operating without nurses, we seal it.

?If they are operating without doctors, we seal it, same thing goes to the medical laboratory,? Ejike said. (NAN)

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