The Senate is proposing criminal penalties for hospitals that delay emergency treatment, with a bill seeking to make healthcare providers liable to a fine of up to N300,000 or six months’ imprisonment for failing to meet prescribed standards.
The proposed amendment to the National Health Act 2014, sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, would require public and private hospitals to assess emergency patients within 15 minutes of arrival and begin initial stabilisation within 30 minutes.
Under the bill, hospitals would also be required to complete referrals to other facilities within three hours where necessary, in a bid to reduce preventable deaths caused by delays in emergency care.
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Leading debate on the bill at Wednesday’s plenary, Yar’Adua said the amendment would ensure that patients received timely, life-saving treatment regardless of their “social status, wealth, influence or location”.
He said the proposal would establish enforceable standards for emergency treatment, healthcare workers’ training and patient referral procedures.
The bill requires the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria to jointly develop a national emergency care curriculum.
Healthcare workers involved in emergency treatment would also be required to undergo training and certification at intervals not exceeding 18 months.
It further stipulates that hospitals must provide basic stabilisation measures, including oxygen therapy, intravenous fluids, pain relief and preliminary diagnostic procedures, within 30 minutes of a patient’s arrival.
Where a life-threatening condition is identified, facilities would be required to immediately provide interventions such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, airway management and bleeding control.
Hospitals would also have to allocate beds to patients requiring admission within two hours, subject to availability.
Where no bed is available, the facility must stabilise the patient and begin referral arrangements within two hours of arrival or as soon as the patient is considered stable for transfer.
The proposed law further requires hospitals to dispatch an ambulance or arrange alternative transport within 30 minutes of deciding to refer a patient.
Yar’Adua said the proposal reflected international practices in countries including Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Supporting the bill, Senate Whip Mohammed Monguno said it would help tackle avoidable deaths arising from road accidents and maternal emergencies.
He lamented that some healthcare providers neglected patients requiring urgent attention, saying the proposed legislation would introduce criminal liability for breaches of emergency treatment standards.
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