Niger sets up agency to oversee private healthcare facilities

The Niger State Ministry of Health has created the Niger State Private Health Facilities Agency (NISPHFA). This agency aims to improve quality, safety, and regulations in private healthcare.

The Executive Chairman and CEO of the agency, Abdullahi Suleiman, announced this on Saturday in Minna. He said the new agency will protect patients, raise standards, and ensure accountability in private healthcare.

Mr Suleiman shared that the agency wants to be Nigeria’s leading health regulator. It will work towards a well-regulated and fair private healthcare sector that meets international standards.

He explained that the agency's job is to register, regulate, monitor, and evaluate all private health facilities in the state. This is to make sure they follow the set standards.

NISPHFA will license private healthcare facilities. It will also set standards for staffing, infrastructure, equipment, and service delivery. The agency will conduct inspections, accredit facilities, and enforce these standards.

Mr Suleiman mentioned that the agency has created registration guidelines for 20 types of private health facilities. They have launched a digital registration portal and have reached out to over 1,000 facilities across all 25 local government areas of the state.

He added that the agency has formed partnerships with security agencies and other regulators to improve enforcement and compliance.

Mr Suleiman assured private healthcare providers that the agency wants to be a partner in raising standards, not an enemy.

At the event, the Commissioner for Health, Murtala Bagana, called the agency a major step forward in changing the state’s health sector.

Mr Bagana said the agency shows the ministry’s dedication to building strong institutions. These institutions will safeguard standards, protect patients, and ensure access to safe healthcare services.

He stated that creating NISPHFA aligns with Governor Umaru Bago’s New Niger Agenda and the Ministry of Health’s THRIVE reform framework. Both aim to improve governance, infrastructure, accountability, and access to quality healthcare.

The commissioner noted that real change in healthcare needs effective regulatory bodies to assure quality, enforce standards, and provide reliable data for better decision-making.

He explained that NISPHFA was set up to solve long-standing issues in the private healthcare sector. These issues include poor regulation, lack of data, inconsistent enforcement of standards, and weak links between private providers and the overall health system.

Mr Bagana said the agency will help advance Universal Health Coverage and strengthen the state’s health system.

Governor Bago, represented by the Head of Service, Abubakar Sadiq, said the agency shows the administration’s commitment to building strong institutions that benefit the citizens.

He described NISPHFA as a real part of the New Niger Agenda. He praised the Ministry of Health for its efforts to improve healthcare quality and patient safety.

He noted that the agency’s enabling law, passed in 2025, puts Niger among states that are focusing on dedicated regulation of private healthcare facilities.

The governor also praised the agency for its use of a technology-driven registration platform and its outreach to private healthcare providers in the state.

He urged the agency’s management and staff to maintain professionalism, transparency, and accountability in their work.