The Senate has passed for second reading a bill seeking to make emergency medical treatment compulsory in public and private hospitals across Nigeria, with a proposed penalty of up to six months’ imprisonment or a fine of N300,000 for anyone who denies patients such care.
The proposed legislation seeks to amend the National Health Act, 2014, to establish mandatory standards for emergency medical treatment and referral procedures in healthcare facilities.
Sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua, representing Katsina Central, the bill is titled A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Health Act, 2014 to Provide for Emergency Medical Treatment Standards and Referral Protocols in Healthcare Facilities; and for Related Matters, 2026.
Following its passage for second reading, the Senate referred the bill to its Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary) for further legislative work and directed it to report back within four weeks.
Under the proposed amendment, no healthcare provider, medical worker or hospital would be allowed to deny anyone emergency medical treatment, regardless of their circumstances.
The bill also requires healthcare professionals to begin life-saving interventions, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, airway management and bleeding control, immediately after identifying a life-threatening condition.
It proposes that hospitals conduct triage and initial assessments within 15 minutes of a patient's arrival, while basic stabilisation measures, including oxygen administration, intravenous fluids, pain management and initial diagnostic procedures, must begin within 30 minutes.
For patients requiring admission, hospital beds would be assigned within two hours, subject to availability.
Where beds are unavailable, healthcare facilities would be required to begin stabilisation immediately and arrange the patient's transfer to another hospital.
The proposed law also sets timelines for referrals, requiring hospitals to initiate referral arrangements within two hours and complete the transfer process within three hours of a patient's arrival, except where circumstances beyond their control prevent compliance.
It further requires hospitals to dispatch an ambulance or arrange alternative transportation within 30 minutes of communicating a referral decision.
Beyond emergency response procedures, the bill seeks to introduce compulsory emergency care training and certification for healthcare workers, with recertification intervals not exceeding 18 months.
It also mandates the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria to jointly develop a standardised national emergency care curriculum.
However, healthcare practitioners would be protected from penalties where resource constraints prevent them from meeting the proposed requirements, provided the challenges are properly documented and the prescribed referral procedures are followed.
Leading the debate, Yar’Adua said the proposed amendment would address critical gaps in Nigeria's healthcare system by establishing enforceable standards for emergency treatment and referrals.
He said the legislation would guarantee timely, life-saving medical attention to Nigerians during emergencies, regardless of their social status, wealth, influence or location.
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