NiSPHFA Moves to End Unsafe Drug Sourcing in Private Health Facilities

As part of initiative by the Niger State Private Health Facilities Agency (NiSPHFA) to protect citizens from substandard and improperly sourced drugs, approved private health facilities in the State will be required to source medicines through an approved government channel.

According to a press statement by the NISPHFA information officer Muhammad S. Abubakar, the initiative is being developed in collaboration with the Niger State Drugs and Hospital Consumables Management Agency (DMA), with the objective of ensuring that residents accessing private healthcare facilities can obtain quality, safe and affordable medicines.

The Executive Chairman of NiSPHFA, Dr Abdullahi Suleiman, disclosed this during a courtesy visit by the Agency’s management to the DMA, where both agencies discussed areas of collaboration to strengthen healthcare regulation, medicine supply and service delivery across the State.

Dr Suleiman said the move is particularly important given the large number of private health facilities operating across Niger State, noting that the Agency is concerned about the sources of medicines being used by such facilities. He explained that the proposed arrangement would provide private facilities with a more reliable and regulated source of medicines while helping the government protect patients from unsafe pharmaceutical products.

According to him, the initiative is part of efforts to actualise Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago’s New Niger Health Agenda and strengthen standards in the private healthcare sector. He stressed that NiSPHFA’s regulatory responsibility goes beyond inspection and enforcement, requiring strategic partnerships with critical stakeholders to address challenges affecting the quality of healthcare delivered to Nigerlites.

The Executive Chairman recalled that the DMA had earlier granted a temporary payment waiver to private facilities purchasing medicines from the Agency, allowing them some flexibility to settle their bills when funds became available. He expressed the Agency’s readiness to further develop the arrangement for the benefit of both healthcare providers and patients.

Responding, the Executive Director of the DMA, Pharm. Ndagi Umar, PhD, assured the NiSPHFA team of the Agency’s willingness to deepen collaboration towards establishing a sustainable medicine supply chain in the State. The DMA is also considering emergency supplies for facilities experiencing shortages, with a target of responding to reported needs within 48 hours.

Other areas of collaboration include joint facility inspections, engagement with private healthcare associations, training of healthcare providers on proper dispensing and adverse drug-reaction reporting, improved information-system integration and efforts to establish facilities for medicine quality analysis.

The collaboration is expected to complement the State Government’s partnership with Life Path Total Care (LPTC), UK, which includes the donation of hospital equipment to private health facilities. Together, the initiatives are aimed at improving the availability of quality medicines and essential equipment, strengthening private healthcare standards and, most importantly, ensuring that Nigerlites receive safer and more reliable healthcare services.