The Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) has reviewed its 2025 operational activities and rated its Franchise Operators high in health facility visitation coverage across Lagos State.
Eko Hot News reports that the assessment was disclosed by HEFAMAA Permanent Secretary, Dr Abiola Idowu, at the opening of a three-day capacity-building training for franchise operators aimed at strengthening compliance and regulatory standards.
Dr Idowu revealed that franchise operators achieved between 75 and nearly 80 per cent coverage in health facility visits in 2025, describing the outcome as evidence of the effectiveness of the agency’s franchising model.
She stressed that HEFAMAA’s evaluation goes beyond the number of facilities visited, placing strong emphasis on the accuracy, quality, and completeness of submitted inspection reports and regulatory instruments.
The Permanent Secretary urged operators to deepen coverage in underserved, fast-growing, and hard-to-reach communities to meet the agency’s mandate of inspecting all registered facilities at least twice yearly.
According to her, the three-day training targets identified gaps, reinforces ethical conduct, and ensures strict adherence to standards on staffing, equipment, facility environment, and operational procedures.
Dr Idowu warned against abuse of regulatory duties, noting that any misconduct would attract severe sanctions, including removal from the franchise programme and possible legal action.
Also speaking, HEFAMAA Deputy Director (Scientific), Mrs Olukemi Oluyoyin, said the franchise model was introduced to address manpower shortages and improve monitoring coverage statewide.
She explained that the Health Sector Reform Law permits the agency to delegate aspects of monitoring to qualified private organisations, a strategy in place since 2022.
Mrs Oluyoyin added that oversight mechanisms include quarterly field supervision, monthly report reviews, and continuous assessment of professionalism and compliance.
On the legal framework, HEFAMAA’s Legal Unit Head, Mrs Antonio Oredipe, said the training also familiarises operators with applicable laws guiding regulatory enforcement.
She clarified that compliance with HEFAMAA regulations does not exempt operators or facilities from liability under other Lagos State laws.
