You'll lose licence, go to jail if you reject emergency patients - NASS warns hospitals

In a bid to enhance emergency healthcare in Nigeria, the Nigerian National Assembly has issued a stern warning to hospitals against any delay in treating emergency patients. This warning, passed by both chambers of the National Assembly, stipulates that hospitals or health practitioners found to have delayed emergency care will either lose their medical license, face a fine of up to N300,000, or serve a sentence of up to six months in prison.

The proposed law, aimed at amending the National Health Act, 2014, was sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Yar Adua and passed its second reading at the Senate. A similar bill, sponsored by Representative Akin Rotimi, also passed its second reading in the House of Representatives. The law defines an emergency patient as someone whose vital signs indicate a need for urgent medical intervention to prevent deterioration, disability, or death.

Violating the provisions of the law would constitute an offence punishable by a fine of up to N300,000 or imprisonment for up to six months, or both. The bill's sponsor, Senator Yar Adua, expressed that the amendment is crucial in addressing gaps in Nigeria's healthcare system, ensuring timely and life-saving treatment for all patients, irrespective of their social status, wealth, or location.

The rationale behind the law, as articulated by its sponsor, is to prevent preventable deaths arising from road accidents and maternal emergencies, which he believes are often caused by healthcare providers neglecting emergency patients. The law aims to eliminate long-standing barriers to emergency care, such as demands for advance payment, police clearances, or administrative delays, thus ensuring that no hospital, public or private, is allowed to deny emergency treatment to anyone.