Niger health agency seals 12 unregistered Islamic medicine stores in Minna

The Niger State Private Health Facilities Agency (NiSPHFA) has sealed 12 unregistered Islamic medicine stores in Minna as part of intensified efforts to regulate private healthcare facilities and alternative medicine practices across the state.

The Executive Chairman of NiSPHFA, Dr. Abdullahi Suleiman, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to protecting the lives and wellbeing of residents through stricter oversight stressing that the enforcement actions were not intended to persecute healthcare providers but to ensure residents receive safe, quality and standard-compliant services.

Suleiman made the remarks while receiving members of the Islamic and Prophetic Medicine Practitioners Association of Nigeria (IPMPAN) in Minna.

He urged genuine practitioners to register with the agency, noting that proper registration would allow NiSPHFA to identify operators, monitor their activities and shield the public from unsafe products and practices announcing plans for a trade fair for verified alternative medicine practitioners.

He emphasised the need for minimum standards covering hygiene, sanitation, safe preparation and storage of medicines, packaging and infection prevention. 

Practitioners, he added, must refer patients with conditions beyond their capacity to appropriate health facilities. Compliance with these requirements, he said, would reduce avoidable health risks and strengthen public confidence in healthcare services.

In a related exercise, a NiSPHFA team inspected 10 health facilities in Katcha Local Government Area. 

The inspection uncovered various irregularities, prompting the agency to issue 21-day notices to affected facilities to correct the deficiencies. 

One facility in Badegi was sealed for non-compliance with established standards to prevent residents from accessing care in potentially unsafe environments.

The enforcement team also paid a courtesy visit to the Chairman of Katcha Local Government Area, Mohammed Zubairu Essan, who expressed readiness to support NiSPHFA in identifying and addressing facilities operating with irregularities. 

The agency noted that collaboration with local authorities remains essential for effective regulation at the grassroots.

Earlier, IPMPAN Chairman Abdullahi Ibrahim Haske commended the Niger State Government for establishing NiSPHFA and pledged the association’s cooperation in ensuring members comply with regulatory requirements.

Suleiman maintained that through sustained enforcement, stakeholder collaboration and improved compliance, NiSPHFA would continue to safeguard residents and promote a safer, more accountable and quality-driven healthcare system across the state.