The Lagos State Government has declared it illegal for any health facility to train or employ auxiliary nurses, warning that hospitals caught engaging in the practice face outright closure.

Dr Abiola Idowu, Permanent Secretary of the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA), gave the warning on Thursday during a sensitisation campaign and town hall meeting in Alimosho Local Council.

Represented by the agency’s Director of Research and Statistics, Dr Olorunfemi Olonire, Idowu said the ban became necessary because auxiliary nurses have done more harm than good to the healthcare system. She stressed that only qualified and licensed medical professionals are permitted to practise in Lagos.

She urged residents to report unlicensed health facilities and quack practitioners to HEFAMAA for enforcement action, noting that the state is determined to stop misdiagnosis and treatment by unqualified personnel.

According to Idowu, HEFAMAA shut down 32 health facilities between January and June this year for various violations and has deployed monitoring teams across all local councils to ensure compliance.

Speaking at the event, Oba Babatunde Nasiru, the King of Shasha Kingdom, called on HEFAMAA to address the poor attitude of staff in public hospitals. He urged the state to improve equipment and staffing levels in its facilities, warning that if service delivery does not improve, residents will continue to patronise quacks.

The monarch stressed that effective monitoring is key to protecting residents from unqualified individuals posing as nurses or doctors.