The senate has passed for second reading a bill seeking to amend the National Health Act, 2014, to establish mandatory emergency medical treatment standards and referral protocols for public and private healthcare facilities across Nigeria.
Similarly, a bill seeking to amend the National Health Act, 2014, to empower authorities to suspend or withdraw the operating licences of healthcare facilities that refuse or obstruct emergency medical treatment passed a second reading in the house of representatives.
The proposed legislation in the red chamber, sponsored by Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, senator representing Katsina central, seeks to prescribe specific timelines for the assessment, treatment, stabilisation and referral of patients requiring emergency medical attention.
The bill, which scaled second reading during Wednesday’s plenary, proposes a fine of up to N300,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or both, for healthcare providers and facilities that violate its provisions.
It also seeks to prohibit hospitals, healthcare workers, and other providers from refusing emergency medical treatment to anyone, regardless of the circumstances.
“A health care provider, health worker, or health establishment shall not refuse any person emergency medical treatment for any reason whatsoever,” the proposed amendment states.
“All healthcare workers involved in the provision of emergency medical care shall be required to undergo training and obtain certification in emergency care competencies as a condition for participating in the delivery of emergency medical services.
“The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria shall jointly develop and maintain a standardized national emergency care curriculum, and all healthcare workers involved in the provision of emergency medical care shall be required to undergo such training and certification at intervals not exceeding eighteen (18) months.”
Leading the debate on the bill, Yar’Adua said the legislation would establish clear obligations for healthcare facilities and personnel attending to patients in critical conditions.
Under the proposed amendment, all public and private healthcare facilities licensed to provide emergency medical services would be required to commence triage and initial assessment within 15 minutes of a patient’s arrival at the emergency department.
Where a licensed medical doctor is unavailable, a trained and certified nurse may conduct the initial assessment.
The bill also requires healthcare facilities to initiate basic stabilisation measures, including oxygen therapy, intravenous fluids, pain relief and preliminary diagnostic procedures, within 30 minutes of a patient’s arrival.
It further provides that life-saving interventions, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, airway management and bleeding control, must commence immediately after a life-threatening condition is identified.
