By Gbenga Salami
The Senate is considering legislation that seeks to impose a six-month jail term, a fine of up to N300,000 or both on hospitals and healthcare providers that fail to comply with prescribed emergency treatment standards.
The proposed amendment to the National Health Act, 2014, also seeks to make it mandatory for public and private hospitals to assess emergency patients within 15 minutes of arrival, commence initial stabilisation within 30 minutes and complete referrals to other facilities within three hours where necessary.
The bill, sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, is aimed at strengthening emergency medical services, improving healthcare workers’ capacity and establishing enforceable standards for patient assessment, stabilisation and referral.
Leading the debate on the bill at Wednesday’s plenary, Yar’Adua said the proposed legislation would address critical deficiencies in Nigeria’s healthcare delivery system and prevent avoidable deaths resulting from delays in emergency treatment.
He stressed that access to emergency medical care should not depend on a patient’s financial status, social standing, influence or geographical 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 stipulates that all licensed public and private healthcare facilities providing emergency services must commence triage and initial assessment within 15 minutes of a patient’s arrival at the emergency department.
Where a medical doctor is unavailable, a trained and certified nurse would be permitted to conduct the initial assessment.
It further provides that any individual or healthcare facility found guilty of violating the provisions would be liable, upon conviction, to a fine not exceeding N300,000, imprisonment for up to six months or both.
Beyond initial assessment, the proposed legislation requires hospitals to commence basic stabilisation measures within 30 minutes of a patient’s arrival.
Such interventions include oxygen therapy, administration of intravenous fluids, pain relief and preliminary diagnostic procedures.
It also mandates immediate life-saving interventions, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, airway management and bleeding control, once a life-threatening condition is identified.
For patients requiring admission, healthcare facilities would be required to allocate beds within two hours, subject to availability.
The bill also provides that hospitals must commence ambulance dispatch or arrange alternative means of transportation within 30 minutes of taking a decision to refer a patient to another facility.
Yar’Adua said the proposed provisions were consistent with international best practices, citing emergency healthcare frameworks in Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Supporting the bill, the Senate Whip, Senator Mohammed Monguno (APC, Borno North), said the legislation would help tackle preventable deaths associated with road accidents, maternal emergencies and other critical health situations.
Monguno lamented that some hospitals and healthcare providers abandoned or neglected patients requiring urgent medical attention, often leading to avoidable deaths.
