Senate Proposes Jail Term, ₦300,000 Fine for Hospitals Rejecting Emergency Patients

The Senate is considering a bill seeking to impose a jail term of up to six months or a fine of not more than ₦300,000 on hospitals and healthcare providers that violate proposed emergency treatment standards.

The proposed legislation also seeks to require public and private hospitals to assess emergency patients within 15 minutes of arrival, begin initial stabilisation within 30 minutes and complete referrals to other facilities within three hours where necessary.

Sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, the bill seeks to amend the National Health Act, 2014, to establish enforceable standards for emergency medical treatment, healthcare workers’ training and patient referral procedures.

Leading the debate during Wednesday’s plenary, Yar’Adua said the proposed amendment would address critical gaps in Nigeria’s healthcare system and ensure that patients received timely, life-saving treatment during emergencies, regardless of their social status, financial circumstances, influence or location.

Under the proposed amendment, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria would jointly develop and maintain a standardised national emergency care curriculum.

Healthcare workers involved in emergency medical services would also be required to undergo relevant training and certification at intervals not exceeding 18 months.

The bill provides that public and private healthcare facilities licensed to offer emergency medical services must commence triage and initial assessment within 15 minutes of a patient’s arrival at the emergency department. Where a licensed medical doctor is unavailable, a trained and certified nurse would be permitted to conduct the initial assessment.

It further proposes that hospitals begin basic stabilisation measures within 30 minutes of a patient’s arrival. These measures would include oxygen therapy, intravenous fluids, pain relief and preliminary diagnostic procedures.

The proposed legislation also mandates immediate life-saving interventions, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, airway management and bleeding control, once a life-threatening condition is identified.

Where a patient requires admission, the hospital would be expected to allocate a bed within two hours, subject to availability.

However, facilities without available beds would be required to stabilise the patient immediately and begin referral arrangements within two hours of arrival or as soon as the patient had been assessed and considered stable for transfer.

The bill also requires hospitals to commence ambulance dispatch or arrange alternative transportation within 30 minutes of deciding that a patient needs to be referred to another facility.

Yar’Adua said the proposed amendment was consistent with international practices, citing emergency healthcare standards in Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Supporting the bill, the Senate Whip, Senator Mohammed Monguno, representing Borno North, said the legislation would help address avoidable deaths arising from road accidents and maternal emergencies.

He lamented that some healthcare providers neglected patients requiring urgent medical attention, leading to preventable deaths.

Monguno added that the proposed legislation would introduce criminal liability for hospitals and healthcare providers that fail to comply with the prescribed emergency treatment standards.