Health
HCPAN Urges National Assembly To Withdraw Health Regulatory Agency Bill
By Oluwafunke Ishola
The Healthcare Providers’ Association of Nigeria (HCPAN) has urged the National Assembly to withdraw plans to establish the proposed National Health Facility Regulatory Agency (NHFRA).
Its National President, Dr Austine Aipoh, warned that creating another federal regulator could duplicate existing functions, increase healthcare costs and weaken regulatory efficiency.
Aipoh made the position known on Thursday in Lagos during a news conference, stating the association’s position on the proposed Bill for an Act to establish the National Health Facility Regulatory Agency of Nigeria.
HCPAN is the umbrella body representing private healthcare providers across the country.
Aipoh said the association supported all genuine efforts aimed at improving healthcare quality, patient safety, accountability and regulatory effectiveness.
However, he argued that the proposed agency was not the most sustainable solution to achieving those objectives.
According to him, Nigeria already has several statutory institutions responsible for regulating healthcare facilities, and establishing another agency with similar responsibilities could result in overlapping mandates, conflicting directives and unnecessary administrative bottlenecks.
He noted that many of the responsibilities proposed for the NHFRA, including inspection, accreditation, quality assurance and regulatory oversight, are already being carried out by existing regulators.
He stressed that legislative reforms should focus on strengthening coordination among these institutions rather than creating parallel structures.
Aipoh also expressed concern that the proposed agency could impose additional regulatory obligations on healthcare providers, who already comply with multiple licensing, accreditation and inspection requirements.
He warned that increased compliance costs would raise operational expenses for healthcare facilities and could ultimately translate into higher costs of healthcare services.
This, he noted, would reduce affordability and limit access to quality care for many Nigerians.
“Whatever burden a provider feels economically, who gets the brunt? It’s the patient, but the government is not looking at it that way.”
He further argued that the bill should protect the statutory responsibilities of existing federal and state regulatory authorities.
“We don’t create a law to bring up conflict. We create a law to make life better for the citizens. So, creating a law that will make life difficult for citizens is not the way to go.”
According to him, an efficient regulatory system is built on clearly defined institutional roles, collaboration among agencies and effective enforcement of existing laws.
He added that strengthening current regulators would produce better outcomes than creating a new organisation with similar responsibilities.
He also called for stronger governance provisions in the legislation, saying any expansion of regulatory powers should be accompanied by safeguards that guarantee transparency, procedural fairness, stakeholder participation and effective mechanisms for appeal.
He urged the Federal Government to improve funding for healthcare regulators, invest in workforce development, deploy digital regulatory systems and strengthen enforcement of existing laws to improve accountability and service delivery.
Aipoh also proposed the establishment of a National Healthcare Regulatory Coordination Framework that would harmonise regulatory standards, coordinate inspections, facilitate information sharing among agencies and eliminate duplication of functions across the sector.
In addition, he recommended that the government conduct a comprehensive regulatory and fiscal impact assessment before establishing any new federal regulatory agency.
Adding that such an evaluation would ensure that reforms are evidence-based, cost-effective and sustainable.
He reaffirmed the association’s commitment to supporting legislative reforms that enhance healthcare quality, strengthen patient safety and boost public confidence in Nigeria’s health system.
Aipoh urged lawmakers to adopt a coordinated regulatory approach that reinforces existing institutions, promotes efficient use of public resources, avoids duplication of responsibilities and ensures that healthcare services remain affordable and accessible to Nigerians.
Similarly, Dr Jonathan Esegine, Chairman, Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMP), said the bill failed to address the challenges facing the nation’s health system, chiefly brain drain and underfunding.
Also, Mrs Omolara Ajagunne, General Secretary, HCPAN Lagos, urged the lawmakers to deliberate and evolve bills that would assist in reducing the cost of medicine and equipment in the country.
Commenting, Dr Jimmy Arigbabuwo, former president of HCPAN, said the bill would overregulate providers to extinction, emphasising a halt to the bill.
He said providers were barely surviving the current economic and operational environment, disclosing that many are selling, leasing and converting their hospitals to hospitality or event centres to cope.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that associations represented at the briefing include Guild of Medical Laboratory Directors, Nigerian Optometric Association, Association of General Private Nursing Practitioners of Nigeria.
Others are Association of Radiographers of Nigeria, Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy and ANPMP.
The proposed National Health Facility Regulatory Agency (NHFRA) Bill, 2025 is sponsored by Sen. Samaila Kaila, who represents the Bauchi North Senatorial District in the Nigerian Senate.
The proposed agency aims to set national care standards, accredit medical facilities, and monitor compliance across both public and private health institutions to ensure patient safety and quality care.
The bill passed its second reading in the Senate in December 2025. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Vivian Ihechu
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