By Joy Odor Reportcircle News
The Federal Government on Tuesday turned the heat on health professional bodies, warning that fresh public funding must translate into tougher enforcement against quacks or face sanctions, as it commissioned a new zonal headquarters for the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria in Enugu.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Adekunle Salako, delivered the message bluntly: regulators must reciprocate government support by cleaning up professional practice and protecting patients.
The ceremony, held in the Enugu State capital, signalled a policy shift from financial relief to regulatory accountability, a move officials say is aimed at tightening Nigeria’s healthcare quality control system.
Salako recalled that when Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, many professional councils had lost federal budgetary support.
The administration, he said, reversed the policy after recognising the central role regulators play in safeguarding healthcare delivery.
But the Minister warned the restoration of funding comes with expectations.
Without regulation, he said, quackery spreads, standards collapse and patients suffer.
He charged councils to enforce compliance, maintain ethical conduct and ensure only qualified professionals operate in the system.
“Government support must be matched with discipline, monitoring and sanctions,” he declared.
Salako vowed Federal backing for aggressive enforcement across the sector, stressing that malpractice, negligence and illegal practice would attract punishment.
He tasked the board to ensure radiography practice nationwide meets strict standards, saying authorities would not hesitate to penalise offenders.
The Minister described the directive as part of the administration’s health reform drive aimed at strengthening oversight rather than merely expanding infrastructure.
The new South-East zonal office is expected to decentralise licensing, registration and professional development for practitioners across the region.
According to the Minister, the facility will improve access to compliance monitoring and continuing education, reducing delays previously faced by professionals who had to travel long distances for documentation.
He described the project as a “landmark step” toward improving patient safety and service quality.
Salako praised Peter Ndubuisi Mbah for supporting the project and pledged continued collaboration to expand access to preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative care in the state.
He also commended Registrar Mark Chukwudi Okeji for delivering the facility, revealing that furnishing has already been captured in the 2026 budget proposal awaiting legislative approval.
Beyond the commissioning, officials said the move signals a broader shift: regulators will now be central enforcement pillars of Nigeria’s healthcare reform, not just certification bodies.
For the government, the message was unmistakable public funds have returned to the councils, and now enforcement must return to the system.
