The Senate is considering a bill proposing a six-month prison sentence or a fine of up to ₦300,000 for hospitals and healthcare providers that fail to comply with prescribed emergency treatment standards.
The proposed legislation seeks to compel public and private healthcare facilities to assess patients arriving with emergencies within 15 minutes, begin initial stabilisation within 30 minutes and complete referrals to other hospitals within three hours where necessary.
Sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, the bill seeks to amend the National Health Act, 2014, to establish enforceable guidelines for emergency medical services, healthcare workers’ training and patient referral procedures.
Presenting the bill during Wednesday’s plenary, Yar’Adua said the proposed amendment would address shortcomings in Nigeria’s healthcare system and ensure that patients received prompt and life-saving medical attention regardless of their financial status, social standing or location.
He proposed that the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria jointly develop a standardised national emergency care curriculum.
Under the proposal, healthcare workers involved in emergency treatment would be required to undergo relevant training and certification at intervals not exceeding 18 months.
The bill also stipulates that hospitals must begin basic stabilisation measures, including oxygen therapy, intravenous fluids, pain relief and preliminary diagnostic procedures, within 30 minutes of a patient’s arrival.
Additionally, healthcare providers would be required to immediately undertake life-saving procedures, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, airway management and bleeding control, once a life-threatening condition is identified.
For patients requiring admission, hospitals would be expected to allocate beds within two hours, subject to availability.
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Where beds are unavailable, facilities would be required to stabilise patients and begin referral arrangements within two hours of arrival or as soon as they are assessed and considered stable for transfer.
The proposed legislation further requires hospitals to dispatch an ambulance or arrange alternative transportation within 30 minutes of deciding to refer a patient to another facility.
Yar’Adua said the proposed reforms were in line with emergency healthcare practices in countries including Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Supporting the bill, the Senate Whip, Mohammed Monguno, said the measure could help reduce preventable deaths arising from road accidents, maternal emergencies and other medical crises.
Monguno criticised healthcare providers who allegedly neglect patients in critical conditions, noting that such practices had contributed to avoidable deaths.
He said introducing criminal penalties for violations of emergency treatment standards would strengthen accountability and encourage hospitals to prioritise patients requiring urgent medical attention.
If passed and assented to, the amendment would establish legally enforceable timelines for emergency assessment, stabilisation and referral across public and private healthcare facilities in Nigeria.