Nigerian Senate Considers Tough Bill To Punish Hospitals Over Emergency Treatment Failures

The Nigerian Senate is considering a bill that seeks to impose up to six months’ imprisonment, a fine of ₦300,000, or both on hospitals and healthcare providers that fail to provide treatment to patients requiring emergency medical attention.

The proposed legislation, sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, is aimed at improving emergency healthcare delivery, ensuring prompt medical intervention, strengthening the training of healthcare workers and establishing more effective patient referral procedures across the country.

Under the proposed bill, both public and private hospitals would be required to assess patients arriving with medical emergencies within 15 minutes and commence initial stabilisation within 30 minutes.

The legislation also seeks to make immediate medical interventions compulsory once a life-threatening condition is identified. Such interventions would include cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), airway management and measures to control severe bleeding.

According to details of the proposal, hospitals would also be expected to provide admission beds for emergency patients within two hours, subject to availability.

Where beds are unavailable, healthcare facilities would be required to stabilise affected patients and begin arrangements for referral to another hospital within two hours or as soon as the patient is considered medically fit for transfer.

The bill further proposes that ambulance services or alternative transportation arrangements should commence within 30 minutes to ensure that patients can be moved to facilities capable of providing the required treatment.

The proposed measures are intended to strengthen accountability in Nigeria’s healthcare system and reduce delays that could put the lives of patients in emergency situations at risk.

If passed into law, the legislation would establish penalties for hospitals and healthcare providers that fail to comply with the stipulated emergency treatment requirements.