By John Odhe
Nigerians citizens have given thumbs up to the Senate for considering a bill seeking a six-month jail term or a fine of up to N300,000 for hospitals and healthcare providers that violate proposed emergency treatment standards.
The bill also seeks to compel public and private hospitals to assess emergency patients within 15 minutes of arrival, commence initial stabilisation within 30 minutes and complete referrals to other facilities within three hours where necessary.
Reacting to the development, some residents in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, described the bill as long overdue.
Mrs. Ogechi Onyibe, a trader, narrated how an accident victim bled to death at a public hospital in Yenagoa because he was not attended to by medical personnel 3 hours after he was rushed to the facility.
“I don’t like what our lawmakers are doing in this country because they seem not to be representing our interests but I commend them on this bill.
“I will not forget the day an accident victim bled to death unattended to at a hospital in this Yenagoa. I don’t want to mention the name of the hospital.
“You better pray that you don’t have an emergency case in this country, especially when it involves physical injuries or gunshots. Medical practitioners will be asking you unnecessary questions and demanding this and that until the victim will give up the ghost in their presence.
“So, I see this bill as very important. It will check the excesses and inhumanity of some medical experts who do not have regard for human lives,” she said.
Also speaking, Mr. Job Omiete, noted that the careless attitude of some healthcare providers had sent many innocent Nigerians to their avoidable untimely graves.
“Let the senate pass the bill without further delays. Medical experts, particularly those working in public hospitals and health centres do not care about people’s lives. Whether an accident victim is dieing or not, is none of their business.
“They term every injured patient to be an armed robber or a cultist and therefore does not deserve treatment. They forget that even an armed robbery suspect is presumed innocent until the court convicts them. I really commend the senate for this bill,” he said.
Sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, the proposed legislation seeks to amend the National Health Act, 2014, to establish enforceable standards for emergency medical treatment, healthcare workers’ training and patient referral procedures.
Leading the debate at Wednesday’s plenary, Yar’Adua said the amendment would address critical gaps in Nigeria’s healthcare system and ensure that patients received timely, life-saving treatment during emergencies, irrespective of their social status, wealth, influence or location.
