Health expert decries multiple bodies for health colleges

The Provost, Jama’atu College of Heath and Technology, Zaria, Malam Adamu Muhammad, has decried multiple regulatory bodies for health colleges programmes in the country.
In an exclusive interview with Blueprint in Zaria yesterday, the provost said “these multiple bodies are worrisome to us in Colleges of Health Sciences and a serious burden on us as well.
“Unlike Nigerian universities that are being regulated by a single board, the National Universities Commission (NUC) and polytechnics that have National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) as its regulating body, the colleges of health technology are answerable to multiple boards that licensed and regulate separate courses run by the institutions.
“Nigeria should copy the system operated in England where only two bodies regulate the activities of health and medical institutions.
“You can imagine a college that runs 15 or 20 health courses, it means you will be answerable to 15 or 20 boards regulating your programs,” he said.
Mallam Muhammad complained that if a college of health was running course on dental programme, the course would be accredited, licensed and regulated by the dental therapy registration board and that of community health programme was regulated by the community health practitioners’ registration board of Nigeria.
The provost further pointed out that similarly, for courses on health information technology, the health record officers registration board of Nigeria was in charge while the West African health examination board regulates courses on environmental health programmes.
He advised the federal government through the Ministry of Health to establish a single board that would be charged with the responsibility of accreditation, licensing and regulation of all colleges of health sciences and technology in the country.
The medical practitioner added that establishing single body would help in the running of such institutions and reduce cost accrued in facilitating take up and continuous running of the courses.