Nasarawa Speaker says health bill aims to tackle quackery, not taxes

The Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Mr Danladi Jatau, has clarified that the bill currently before the Assembly sought to establish a Private Health Regulatory Agency.

He emphasised that the bill was intended to reduce quackery, not impose taxes on private healthcare facilities.

Jatau made this statement while hosting members of the Nasarawa State Private Clinic Proprietors Association at the Assembly complex in Lafia on Tuesday.

He explained that the bill’s primary objective was to regulate the proliferation of private healthcare facilities and address the issue of quackery in the state.

He emphasised that the bill was impartial and not aimed at adding to the tax burden on private practitioners.

“The bill will be passed into law as soon as the Assembly reconvenes from recess,” Jatau added.

He urged the association to work with the House and the government to combat the increasing presence of quacks in the healthcare sector.

Earlier, Mr Danladi Jibrin, Chairman of the Association of Private Health Practitioners, expressed concerns about the challenges of multiple taxation faced by the association’s members, calling for the Assembly’s intervention.

Jibrin urged the lawmakers to ensure that the bill did not result in additional taxes and thanked the Speaker and the Assembly for their commitment to enacting laws that would bring positive changes to the healthcare sector.