Turn Away a Dying Patient, Lose Your Licence - NASS Tells Medical Facilities

For many Nigerian families, the worst moment in a hospital is the wait. A relative is bleeding or in labour, and the question that comes first is about money, a police report or paperwork. Lawmakers now say that must end.

Senate Whip Mohammed Monguno (APC, Borno North) backed the proposed law, saying it would help address preventable deaths arising from road accidents and maternal emergencies.

He lamented that some healthcare providers neglect emergency patients, leading to avoidable deaths.

The National Assembly has issued a strong warning to hospitals nationwide against delaying care for emergency patients. The warning followed a resolution in both chambers on Wednesday.

Any hospital or health practitioner found wanting will lose their medical licence, pay a fine of up to N300,000, or face six months in prison.

‘A person or health facility that contravenes any provision of this section commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding N300,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or both,’ the bill states.

Lawmakers say the bill will prevent any public or private hospital from denying anyone emergency treatment for any reason. The legislation defines an emergency patient as a person whose vital signs indicate the need for urgent medical intervention to prevent deterioration, disability or death.

The move is part of a coordinated effort to amend the National Health Act, 2014 to remove long-standing barriers to emergency care, such as demands for advance payment, police clearances or administrative delays.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, passed second reading at the Senate. At the House of Representatives, the same bill, sponsored by Representative Akin Rotimi, also passed.

During plenary on Wednesday, Yar’Adua said the amendment would address critical gaps in Nigeria’s healthcare system.

He said it would guarantee timely, life-saving treatment for patients regardless of their social status, wealth, influence or location.

According to him, the existing National Health Act already prohibits refusal of emergency treatment, but it lacks the specific timelines and detailed procedures needed for effective enforcement.