HCPAN demands NHFRA Bill withdrawal, rejects proposed health agency

The Healthcare Providers’ Association of Nigeria (HCPAN) has urged the National Assembly to withdraw the proposed National Health Facility Regulatory Agency of Nigeria (NHFRA) Bill, warning that establishing another regulatory body could create unnecessary duplication, increase healthcare costs and complicate service delivery in the country.

HCPAN, the umbrella body representing private healthcare providers in Nigeria, made its position known during a press briefing in Lagos, following its presentation of a memorandum at the public hearing on the proposed legislation by the Senate Committee on Health.

The association stressed that its opposition to the Bill was not a rejection of healthcare regulation, but a call for a more coordinated and efficient regulatory framework that strengthens existing institutions rather than creating another layer of oversight.

Speaking at the briefing, HCPAN President, Dr Austine Aipoh, said the proposed agency would overlap with the responsibilities of several existing regulatory bodies, including the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, State Ministries of Health, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), and professional regulatory councils such as the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), and Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN).

Aipoh noted that HCPAN supports improved healthcare quality, patient safety, accountability and uniform national standards, but expressed concern that the establishment of NHFRA in its current form could introduce another layer of bureaucracy without addressing the real challenges affecting healthcare regulation.

According to him, the Bill grants the proposed agency powers to inspect, accredit, certify, monitor, investigate, sanction and enforce compliance across healthcare facilities, responsibilities that substantially overlap with mandates already assigned to existing regulatory institutions.

He warned that if enacted in its current form, healthcare providers could be subjected to multiple inspections, repeated accreditation exercises, additional certification requirements and overlapping regulatory fees from different government agencies.

“Rather than simplifying healthcare regulation, the Bill risks creating an additional layer of bureaucracy that will increase compliance costs without necessarily improving patient outcomes,” he said.

The HCPAN President also raised concerns about possible conflicts between federal and state regulatory responsibilities, particularly in the areas of licensing, accreditation and enforcement.

He argued that resources earmarked for establishing a new regulatory agency could be better utilised in strengthening existing institutions, improving coordination among regulators, digitising regulatory processes, building inspection capacity and supporting quality improvement initiatives across public and private healthcare facilities.

HCPAN had earlier presented its memorandum at the National Assembly public hearing on the Bill, where it maintained that Nigeria already has a broad healthcare regulatory structure that requires improved coordination and stronger enforcement rather than the creation of another agency.

The association recommended the development of a National Healthcare Regulatory Coordination Framework to harmonise the activities of existing institutions, eliminate overlapping responsibilities and encourage joint inspections among regulators.

It also called for wider stakeholder consultations, assessment of the financial implications of new regulatory frameworks and greater enforcement of existing healthcare laws.

Other HCPAN members who spoke at the media briefing, including the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), endorsed the association’s position and urged healthcare providers to remain united in engaging against the Bill in its current form.

They argued that the proposed legislation may not serve the wider interest of Nigerians, particularly patients, stressing that healthcare concerns affect everyone because every individual is either a patient or a potential patient at some point in life.

HCPAN, which has represented private hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centres, laboratories, pharmacies and other healthcare establishments since 2004, reaffirmed its commitment to working with the National Assembly, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, state governments and other stakeholders to develop an efficient and sustainable healthcare regulatory system.

The association maintained that Nigeria needs stronger collaboration among existing regulators rather than the creation of another agency with overlapping responsibilities.