By Rosemary Okoduwa
The Edo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and the Edo Healthcare Regulatory and Monitoring Agency (EDOHERMA) have agreed to deepen collaboration aimed at improving healthcare standards, emergency response systems, and the quality of care in social welfare institutions across the state.
The partnership was initiated during a courtesy visit by the Chief Executive Officer of EDOHERMA, Dr. Adesuwa Urhoghide Edigin, to the Ministry, where she was received by the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Eugenia Abdallah, and members of the Ministry’s management team.
Dr. Edigin explained that EDOHERMA is mandated to regulate, inspect, and monitor healthcare facilities and services across Edo State to ensure compliance with approved standards, noting that the registration of public health facilities remains the responsibility of the relevant government ministries.
She emphasized the need for collaboration to ensure that orphanages, rehabilitation centres, shelters, Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs), and other welfare institutions maintain high standards of hygiene, healthcare, and safety. She also advocated the development of emergency preparedness and referral protocols to guarantee timely access to quality healthcare services.
The EDOHERMA Chief Executive Officer disclosed that the agency is strengthening its digital verification platform to enable members of the public to confirm approved healthcare facilities and welfare institutions. She further urged the Ministry to notify the agency ahead of healthcare outreach programmes to ensure that only licensed professionals and accredited facilities participate, while also allowing for effective monitoring and follow-up.
In her response, Hon. Abdallah described the partnership as timely and essential to the protection of vulnerable persons. She highlighted the Ministry’s commitment to promoting alternative care by gradually transitioning children from institutional care to safe, family based environments in line with global best practices.
The Commissioner reaffirmed the Ministry’s readiness to work with EDOHERMA on regulation, compliance, healthcare monitoring, and emergency response in order to improve standards across welfare institutions.
Dr. Edigin commended the Ministry’s child welfare initiatives, noting that improved hygiene, healthcare practices, and living conditions in social care facilities would reduce preventable illnesses and ease pressure on the state’s healthcare system. She reaffirmed EDOHERMA’s commitment to preventive healthcare through effective regulation, professional certification, and continuous monitoring.
Both agencies concluded the meeting by reaffirming their commitment to sustained collaboration to ensure that social welfare institutions across Edo State operate in line with established healthcare standards, thereby providing safer environments and improved care for vulnerable citizens.
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