Health
Medical Negligences: Dr Agbakoba urges FG to bring back supervisory body for Nigerian hospitals
The last Chief Medical Officer of Nigeria was Dr. Samuel Layinka Manuwa.Today, under the National Health Act and State Health Laws, this essential regulatory infrastructure no longer exists.
Dr Olisa Agbakoba has called on the Federal Government to immediately restablish an independent Health Regulatory Authority with powers to inspect facilities, enforce standards, and sanction non-compliance public and private hospitals.
Agbakoba, SAN Senior Partner & Head Medical Practice, Olisa Agbakoba Legal, made the call today, citing the case of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s son , and other Nigerians who have died as a result of medical negligences.
While commiserating with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her husband, Dr. Ivara Esege, Agbakoba noted that the fundamental problem underlying these tragedies is the complete failure of the legal and regulatory framework governing Nigeria’s health sector.
Agbakoba noted that in the old days, the healthcare system functioned under a robust supervisory structure. Chief Medical Officers and Health Inspectors were responsible for oversight of critical care, ensuring compliance with standards, and holding practitioners accountable.
“The last Chief Medical Officer of Nigeria was Dr. Samuel Layinka Manuwa.Today, under the National Health Act and State Health Laws, this essential regulatory infrastructure no longer exists.
He emphasised, ” Our health sector has become over centralised under the Federal Minister of Health, causing states to become lax in oversight responsibilities.
As a result, health facilities and medical practitioners operate with alarming impunity.
There is no requirement for routine submission of reports, no systematic inspections, and no effective enforcement of professional standards. Ministers of Health and Commissioners of Health have assumed roles that conflate policy-making with regulatory enforcement—a fundamental governance failure.
There must be a clear separation of functions: Health Ministers and Commissioners should focus on policy development and strategic direction, whilst independent Health Inspectors and regulatory bodies must be empowered to enforce standards, conduct inspections, and ensure accountability,” he said.
” As a medical negligence legal specialist, I must express grave concern about the recurring incidents of absolutely preventable deaths resulting from medical negligence by health practitioners across Nigeria.
“There must be a clear separation of functions: Health Ministers and Commissioners should focus on policy development and strategic direction, whilst independent Health Inspectors and regulatory bodies must be empowered to enforce standards, conduct inspections, and ensure accountability.”
Agbakoba, therefore emphasised for:
1.Reinstitution of the Office of Chief Medical Officer at federal and state levels with clear enforcement mandates;
2. Mandatory registration and periodic inspection of all health facilities with transparent reporting requirements;
3. Independent investigation mechanisms with powers to access and preserve medical records, preventing tampering or alteration;
4. Clear separation between policy formulation and regulatory enforcement within the health sector governance structure;
5.Comprehensive legislative reform to update Nigeria’s health laws to reflect modern standards of care, accountability, and patient protection; and the time for comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s health system is long overdue.
“We cannot continue to lose precious lives to preventable medical errors whilst the regulatory framework remains in shambles.
This is a matter of national emergency that demands immediate legislative and executive action,” he said.
Health
Nairobi Hospital Beckoning Nigerians Seeking Treatment Abroad
The hospital also holds internationally recognised certifications in pathology, laboratory medicine, cardiac care and stroke services.
A report by Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi (AKUH), has disclosed that Africa loses an estimated $7 billion every year as patients travel abroad for medical treatment, with more than 300,000 Africans travelling to India alone yearly in search of specialist care.
The hospital disclosed this at a media roundtable in Lagos, where it called for a stronger investment in Africa’s healthcare systems, while positioning its Nairobi facility as an alternative destination for Nigerians who currently seek treatment in Europe, Asia and the Americas.
Chief Operating Officer of the hospital, Khurram Jamal, attributed the continued outflow of patients and healthcare spending to shortages of specialist services, inconsistent quality standards, fragmented medical travel pathways and the perception that quality healthcare was only available outside Africa.
According to him, reversing the trend requires building healthcare systems that inspire confidence rather than relying on appeals to patriotism.
He maintained that patients would only choose African hospitals if they consistently met international standards.
Jamal said Aga Khan University Hospital was the first in the region to attain Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation and has maintained the certification through successive reaccreditations.
He added that the hospital also holds internationally recognised certifications in pathology, laboratory medicine, cardiac care and stroke services.
Health
[UPDATES ] Nurse Mary Habila : Umahi clarifies possible cause of death
The lady in question was like a daughter to me. She had stayed with me for three years. She was a staff of the Federal Medical University. She was a nurse and not a physiotherapist,” Umahi said.
Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, on Thursday said that Miss Mary Habila, the nurse who died at a guest house within his residence in Uburu, Ebonyi State, spoke with her boyfriend on the night before her death and complained of a nosebleed.
Umahi, who addressed journalists for the first time since the incident, described the late Habila as “like a daughter” to him and called for an autopsy to determine the actual cause of her death.
Habila, a nurse with the David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences, Uburu, died on June 27, 2026, in a guest house located within the minister’s residence in Umunaga, Uburu.
The minister clarified that the deceased was a nurse and not a physiotherapist, as had been reported in some media outlets.
” The lady in question was like a daughter to me. She had stayed with me for three years. She was a staff of the Federal Medical University. She was a nurse and not a physiotherapist,” Umahi said.
Narrating the events leading to her death, Umahi said Habila spoke with her boyfriend on the night before she was found dead and informed him that she was experiencing a nosebleed.
She told the boyfriend she was bleeding from the nose. The boyfriend advised her to report it to her boss. She later told him the bleeding had stopped.
“He then said he would end the call so she could rest. She pleaded with him not to end the conversation, but he did.
About three minutes later, he called back and she was no longer answering her phone,” the minister said.
He further disclosed that Habila had been receiving treatment for an undisclosed medical condition at Turkish Hospital in Abuja, with the medical expenses paid by his family.
Health
Sokoto upgrades 92 PHCs to national compliance standards
The upgraded facilities now operate in line with the standards of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, with skilled birth attendants, functional labour wards, essential drugs, medical equipment and improved infrastructure.
The Sokoto State Government said on Thursday 92 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the state’s 23 local government areas have attained national compliance standards under the Safe Delivery Initiative (SDI).
In a statement the government assured that all 244 designated facilities would be upgraded before the end of 2026.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony in Sokoto, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Faruk Umar Abubakar, said that the initiative was transforming primary healthcare through improved infrastructure, skilled manpower, essential medicines and stronger accountability.
“Today, we are launching the third phase of the Safe Delivery Initiative with 75 facilities that have fulfilled all the national requirements. Together with those completed in the earlier phases, we now have 92 functional and compliant primary healthcare centres,” he said.
He said the upgraded facilities now operate in line with the standards of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, with skilled birth attendants, functional labour wards, essential drugs, medical equipment and improved infrastructure.
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