Lagos seals 345 illegal health facilities in 2013

From Ayodele Samuel and Akilani Abdullah, Lagos

More than 317 illegal pharmaceutical outlets and 28 health facilities were sealed in the last one year, to rid the state of illicit health facilities and drug store operators, Lagos state government has said.

Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris and Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Yewande Adeshina disclosed this at the ministerial press briefing held at Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja to mark the seventh year of Governor Babatunde Fashola’s administration.

Idris said that the facilities were found violating health practices and the state had no alternative but to shut them, to avert any mortality.

He stated that the state may shut another 114 health facilities, out of the 1,182 facilities that were monitored in the last 12 months.

The commissioner explained that during the year under review, 1,089 private health facilities registration were renewed and 305 new pharmacy outlets were opened, adding “45 new patent medicine shops were registered, while approval for 84 premises are being awaited. And there are 2,547 pharmacy outlets in existence.”

Idris, however, said that the state government screened 35, 243 pupils from 67 public schools from 28 local government and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), in the state.

According to him, “The most prevalent medical condition seen amongst the pupils were scabies/ringworm, 6, 343 (18 percent), malnutrition 5,286 (15 percent), and acute respiratory infection 4, 581 (13 percent).

The commissioner added that, to address malnutrition, 59, 303 pupils in 1, 023 public primary schools benefitted from the 1.5 million milk sachets distributed by the state government, in partnership with a private organization.