The House of Representatives has proposed tougher sanctions for hospitals that refuse, delay or obstruct emergency medical treatment, including the suspension or withdrawal of their operating licences.
The proposal is contained in a bill seeking to amend the National Health Act 2014, which passed its second reading during Wednesday’s plenary session.
Sponsored by Akin Rotimi, spokesperson of the House of Representatives, the bill seeks to strengthen emergency medical services by introducing mandatory timelines for patient assessment, stabilisation and referral.
Under the proposed amendment, healthcare facilities would be required to commence emergency assessment, known as triage, within 15 minutes of a patient’s arrival.
Hospitals would also be required to begin basic stabilisation within 30 minutes, while life-saving interventions must commence immediately once a life-threatening condition is identified.
The proposed legislation further stipulates that hospitals with available bed spaces must allocate one to an emergency patient within two hours.
Where no bed is available, the facility must begin stabilising the patient and initiate a referral within two hours of arrival or immediately after clinical stabilisation.
Presenting the bill, Rotimi expressed concern that Nigerians continued to suffer preventable complications and deaths because some healthcare facilities delayed treatment over administrative procedures, demands for payment and poorly coordinated referrals.
He noted that although Section 20 of the National Health Act 2014 prohibits healthcare providers and facilities from refusing emergency medical treatment, stronger enforcement measures were necessary.
Under the existing law, offenders face a fine of ₦100,000, imprisonment for up to six months, or both.
The proposed amendment seeks to introduce additional penalties, including financial sanctions, suspension of hospital operating licences and possible closure or withdrawal of licences for subsequent offences.
Healthcare workers who deliberately refuse to attend to emergency patients or abandon them could also face criminal penalties and professional disciplinary proceedings.
The bill further proposes that patients or their representatives can seek compensation through civil action against healthcare facilities where violations of emergency treatment provisions result in injury, disability or death.
Rotimi said the proposed amendment would establish clearer responsibilities and minimum standards for timely medical intervention.
He added that unnecessary delays increase the risk of patients suffering further complications, permanent disabilities or death.
“Nigerian should not have to negotiate for survival at the point of a medical emergency. No family should lose a loved one because treatment was unnecessarily delayed, a referral was poorly coordinated, or a healthcare facility failed to discharge its responsibility,” he said.
The lawmaker maintained that the legislation would ensure that the right to emergency medical treatment is not merely recognised in the country’s laws but reflected in actual healthcare delivery.
The bill is expected to undergo further legislative consideration before becoming law.
