Lagos State House of Assembly has dismissed the request of the Association of Private Community Health Practitioners of Nigeria for the license to establish community health clinics, community health centres, and comprehensive health centres.
The House made the resolution on Thursday based on the recommendations submitted by its committee on health service.
The move to grant powers to community health extension workers to start operating private clinics was met with resistance, following petitions from some concerned groups. The petitions were committed to the Committee on Health Service to investigate the issues raised by the petitioners. After weeks of deliberations, the Committee presented its report, recommending that the request should not be granted based on the fact that community health workers are only trained to administer treatments on minor ailments, using standing orders as their operating guides. Thus, their training is inadequate to operate independently in a private setting.
The Majority Leader of the House, Hon. SOB Agunbiade, emphasized that the Lagos State cannot compromise the health of its public, especially with the standard set and upheld.
