Emergency Treatment: Senate Advances Bill Proposing Jail Terms for Delays

• An emergency treatment bill proposing penalties for delays in care has passed second reading in the Senate, as lawmakers debate patient safety and hospital resource shortages.

The Senate has passed for second reading a bill seeking to establish emergency treatment standards and referral procedures in healthcare facilities across Nigeria.

The proposed amendment to the National Health Act, 2014, advanced during plenary on Wednesday, November 4.

Sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua, representing Katsina Central, the bill seeks to address delays in attending to emergency patients and prevent avoidable deaths.

It proposes penalties, including imprisonment of up to six months and a ₦300,000 fine, for violations of its emergency-care provisions.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced its passage after senators supported the proposal through a voice vote. The bill was subsequently referred for committee scrutiny and a public hearing.

The proposal has not become law. Its passage at second reading allows further examination of its provisions.

Explaining the proposed standards, Yar’Adua said emergency patients should receive an initial assessment within 15 minutes, with stabilisation measures beginning within 30 minutes.

Life-saving interventions would begin immediately once a life-threatening condition was identified.

He also said the amendment would protect healthcare workers acting in good faith within documented resource limitations while providing accountability for wilful negligence.

However, Senator Francis Faduyile, representing Ondo South, warned against imposing criminal liability without addressing shortages of personnel, equipment and funding.

He questioned how a lone doctor managing several patients could meet rigid timelines when another emergency arrived. He also raised concerns about hospitals providing emergency services without reimbursement.

Other senators supported clearer referral procedures, particularly for rural communities where childbirth complications can require urgent transfers to better-equipped facilities.

Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro said committee deliberations and the public hearing would give healthcare professionals and other stakeholders an opportunity to address gaps in the proposal.