The Edo State Government has begun a fresh crackdown on healthcare providers operating below approved standards, while facilities that fail to correct identified deficiencies continue to face fines and permanent closure.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Edo State Health Regulatory and Monitoring Agency (EDOHERMA), Dr Adesuwa Urhoghide-Edigin, disclosed this on Tuesday in Benin while briefing journalists on the agency’s ongoing regulatory activities.
Urhoghide-Edigin revealed that more than 20 healthcare facilities previously sealed by the agency have started addressing the shortcomings identified during inspections. She explained that the operators would be reassessed after making the required improvements.
The exercise, she noted, is not intended solely to punish healthcare providers. Its central purpose is to ensure that hospitals, clinics and other health-related establishments operate within approved standards and do not expose patients to avoidable risks.
“Even in the sealing we have been doing, we are also encouraging such facilities to know that we are not all punitive and that we are also supportive. Over 20 for now are doing what we have already asked them to do and, when they finish, we are also going to come back to the public to say this XYZ facility has done better,” she said.
The agency is now conducting an enumeration and revalidation exercise across Edo’s 18 local government areas. The process is designed to establish the number of healthcare establishments operating in the state, determine their current registration status and measure their compliance with prescribed requirements.
Urhoghide-Edigin explained that some of the establishments previously shut were not registered with the state government. Others had obtained approval at an earlier stage but failed to preserve the conditions attached to their registration.
“That is why we are revalidating,” she added.
The exercise also targets establishments allegedly operating without qualified professionals. The EDOHERMA chief executive maintained that a facility must operate within the scope of services permitted by its registration and must have appropriately qualified personnel for the services it offers.
“Some of these facilities, there are no doctors there, and that cannot be a hospital. What we are trying to do is for everybody to stick to their scope of services,” she stated.
The distinction is significant because the agency’s regulatory role extends beyond private hospitals and clinics. EDOHERMA also oversees health-related establishments such as orphanages and shelters, alongside public secondary hospitals and primary healthcare centres.
Public institutions will equally come under scrutiny during the exercise. Rather than limit enforcement to private operators, the agency plans to identify shortcomings in government-owned establishments and work with the relevant authorities to address them.
The administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo, through the agency, is presenting the exercise as part of efforts to improve the standard of healthcare available to residents. The regulatory process therefore combines inspection, categorisation, corrective measures and sanctions for persistent breaches.
Urhoghide-Edigin issued a firm warning to operators who fail to respond to the agency’s directives.
“We are going to close permanently those that fail to upgrade their health standard,” she declared, adding that enforcement fines would also be introduced for defaulters.
She also stressed that the agency’s approach would involve cooperation with healthcare operators, members of the public and the media. Facilities willing to correct their shortcomings would have an opportunity to do so, while those that continue to provide services below approved requirements could face stronger sanctions.
“It is either you are standard or not, and that is where our categorisation comes in,” she said.
The revalidation programme could therefore produce a clearer picture of Edo’s healthcare landscape by separating compliant establishments from those operating without proper approval, qualified personnel or adequate facilities.
Beyond regulatory compliance, the exercise places patient safety at the centre of the state’s oversight strategy. EDOHERMA’s position is that healthcare providers must meet the standards attached to their categories before they can continue serving the public.
The agency’s next phase will involve continued inspections, verification of corrections and further action against establishments that fail to meet the prescribed requirements.
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