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NISPHFA Will Protect Private Health Providers, Not Harass Them — Executive Chairman Assures Stakeholders
01 May 2026
The Executive Chairman of the Niger State Private Health Facilities Agency (NISPHFA), Dr. Abdullahi Suleiman, has reassured stakeholders in the private health sector that the Agency was established to protect Private health establishments from undue interference, harassment, and exploitation, while promoting fairness and professionalism across the system.
Dr. Suleiman gave the assurance during a stakeholders’ engagement held at the office of the Director of Primary Health Care in Gurara Local Government Area, where he emphasized that the Agency is designed to serve as a regulatory and supportive body rather than a punitive institution.
He explained that the Agency was officially established on May 21st, 2025, following the Governor’s assent to the bill, marking a transition from the former regulatory board to a more structured and legally backed institution. According to him, the Agency now oversees the licensing, regulation, and monitoring of Private hospitals, clinics, laboratories, and other non-governmental health facilities across the State.
The Chairman noted that the Agency’s core mandate includes ensuring quality and patient safety through the enforcement of minimum standards in staffing, equipment, hygiene, and service delivery. He added that it will also promote accountability by investigating complaints, sanctioning quack practices, and shutting down unsafe facilities where necessary.
Highlighting the importance of the private sector, Dr. Suleiman stated that over 60 percent of healthcare services in Nigeria are delivered by private providers, stressing the need for effective collaboration. He described Primary Health Care as the first point of contact for most, health seekers, underscoring the critical role of PHC Directors as gatekeepers at the grassroots level.
He further disclosed that the Agency will serve as a unified platform to give Private health operators a voice, protect them from multiple taxation, and foster partnerships with government under national health initiatives. This Agency is not established to threaten anyone but to ensure standards and create a safe, accountable system that benefits both providers and patients, he said.
Dr. Suleiman also announced key reforms, including mandatory registration through relevant professional associations, the introduction of Continuous Medical Education (CME) programmes, and the digitalization of all payments to eliminate cash transactions. He added that certificates issued by the Agency will carry secure features such as barcodes to verify authenticity.
He revealed that the Agency will conduct periodic unannounced inspections and establish task forces across all Local Government Areas to address quackery and non-compliance. He assured stakeholders that whistleblowers’ identities would be protected and announced a one-month window for facility registration and revalidation.
In his remarks, the Director of Primary Health Care in Gurara LGA, Idris Abdulkadir, commended the State government for establishing the Agency, describing it as a long-awaited intervention for the private health sector. He noted that despite years of neglect, some private providers have continued to support services such as immunization and data reporting, and called for their inclusion in the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
Other stakeholders at the meeting called for clearer regulatory guidelines across Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary care levels, as well as strategies to address unregistered home-based practices. They also welcomed the introduction of Continuos Medical Education(CME) Programmes as a step toward improving service .
The NISPHFA team also extended its advocacy visits to the Primary Health Care Development Agency, Umaru Musa Yar’adua Memorial Hospital and PHC Basic Health Clinic, Sabon Wuse in Tafa LGA, Berith Specialist Hospital, and UNIS Laboratory in Suleja, where discussions focused on strengthening collaboration, improving data management, and integrating private providers into State health programmes.
Dr. Suleiman gave the assurance during a stakeholders’ engagement held at the office of the Director of Primary Health Care in Gurara Local Government Area, where he emphasized that the Agency is designed to serve as a regulatory and supportive body rather than a punitive institution.
He explained that the Agency was officially established on May 21st, 2025, following the Governor’s assent to the bill, marking a transition from the former regulatory board to a more structured and legally backed institution. According to him, the Agency now oversees the licensing, regulation, and monitoring of Private hospitals, clinics, laboratories, and other non-governmental health facilities across the State.
The Chairman noted that the Agency’s core mandate includes ensuring quality and patient safety through the enforcement of minimum standards in staffing, equipment, hygiene, and service delivery. He added that it will also promote accountability by investigating complaints, sanctioning quack practices, and shutting down unsafe facilities where necessary.
Highlighting the importance of the private sector, Dr. Suleiman stated that over 60 percent of healthcare services in Nigeria are delivered by private providers, stressing the need for effective collaboration. He described Primary Health Care as the first point of contact for most, health seekers, underscoring the critical role of PHC Directors as gatekeepers at the grassroots level.
He further disclosed that the Agency will serve as a unified platform to give Private health operators a voice, protect them from multiple taxation, and foster partnerships with government under national health initiatives. This Agency is not established to threaten anyone but to ensure standards and create a safe, accountable system that benefits both providers and patients, he said.
Dr. Suleiman also announced key reforms, including mandatory registration through relevant professional associations, the introduction of Continuous Medical Education (CME) programmes, and the digitalization of all payments to eliminate cash transactions. He added that certificates issued by the Agency will carry secure features such as barcodes to verify authenticity.
He revealed that the Agency will conduct periodic unannounced inspections and establish task forces across all Local Government Areas to address quackery and non-compliance. He assured stakeholders that whistleblowers’ identities would be protected and announced a one-month window for facility registration and revalidation.
In his remarks, the Director of Primary Health Care in Gurara LGA, Idris Abdulkadir, commended the State government for establishing the Agency, describing it as a long-awaited intervention for the private health sector. He noted that despite years of neglect, some private providers have continued to support services such as immunization and data reporting, and called for their inclusion in the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
Other stakeholders at the meeting called for clearer regulatory guidelines across Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary care levels, as well as strategies to address unregistered home-based practices. They also welcomed the introduction of Continuos Medical Education(CME) Programmes as a step toward improving service .
The NISPHFA team also extended its advocacy visits to the Primary Health Care Development Agency, Umaru Musa Yar’adua Memorial Hospital and PHC Basic Health Clinic, Sabon Wuse in Tafa LGA, Berith Specialist Hospital, and UNIS Laboratory in Suleja, where discussions focused on strengthening collaboration, improving data management, and integrating private providers into State health programmes.