Bauchi Assembly warns of unregulated health training schools

The Bauchi State House of Assembly has raised serious concerns over the growing number of private health training institutions operating without proper authorization across the state, warning that the development poses a significant risk to public health.

The alarm was sounded during plenary following a motion sponsored by the Chairman of the House Committee on Health and member representing Sade Constituency, Lawal Dauda.

He expressed worry over what he described as the unchecked proliferation of health training schools allegedly running without approval from relevant regulatory bodies such as the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), the Community Health Practitioners Registration Board of Nigeria, and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.

Dauda told lawmakers that many of the institutions operate in unsuitable environments, lack qualified instructors and are poorly equipped, with inadequate libraries, laboratories and student accommodation.

He warned that the situation could produce poorly trained and incompetent health workers, stressing that the issue goes beyond education and constitutes a looming public health crisis.

According to him, weak enforcement of existing regulations has allowed some school owners to prioritise profit over standards, thereby endangering the lives of patients.

The lawmaker also disclosed that the Bauchi State Governor has expressed concern over the rising number of unapproved health training institutions, describing their continued operation as a serious threat to public safety.

Dauda called for urgent legislative action to strengthen regulation of the sector and protect residents from unqualified health personnel, as the Assembly is expected to engage relevant authorities to address the problem amid mounting pressure on the state government to sanitise the system.