The House of Representatives has begun efforts to strengthen the enforcement of patients’ rights to emergency medical care, proposing stricter penalties, including the suspension or revocation of operating licences, for hospitals that refuse, delay or obstruct treatment.
The move followed the passage of a bill sponsored by the member representing Ikole/Oye Federal Constituency of Ekiti State, Akin Rotimi, for second reading on Wednesday.
The proposed legislation seeks to amend the National Health Act, 2014, by establishing mandatory emergency triage, stabilisation and referral procedures, backed by clearly defined timelines and enforceable obligations for healthcare facilities and professionals.
Under the proposed legislation, hospitals would be required to begin triage within 15 minutes of a patient’s arrival and provide basic stabilisation within 30 minutes. Life-saving interventions would also have to commence immediately once a life-threatening condition is identified, regardless of administrative procedures.
Presenting the bill’s general principles, Rotimi said the proposed amendment aimed to reduce preventable deaths and complications caused by delays in accessing emergency medical services.
He noted that despite existing legal provisions guaranteeing patients access to emergency medical treatment, Nigerians continued to experience preventable deaths and complications due to administrative delays, demands for payment before treatment, lack of available hospital beds and poorly coordinated referral systems.
“Mr Speaker, in a medical emergency, time is the difference between life and death. Yet, Nigerians continue to lose their lives or suffer preventable complications because of delays arising from administrative bottlenecks, demands for payment before treatment, unavailable hospital beds and poorly coordinated referrals,” he said.
Rotimi said that while Section 20 of the National Health Act, 2014, prohibits healthcare providers from refusing emergency medical treatment, practical experience has exposed the need for clearer operational guidelines and stronger enforcement measures.
“Although the National Health Act, 2014, prohibits the refusal of emergency medical treatment, experience demonstrates the need to reinforce this obligation with clear operational standards and enforceable accountability. The right to emergency treatment must translate into timely assessment, immediate life-saving intervention, stabilisation and effective referral where necessary,” he added.
The proposed amendment also seeks to tackle delays arising from shortages of medical personnel by allowing trained and certified nurses to conduct triage in cases where a medical practitioner is unavailable.
For emergency admissions and referrals, healthcare facilities would be required to allocate a bed to an emergency patient within two hours, provided one is available.
