The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has rejected a proposed amendment to the National Health Act seeking to impose a six-month jail term or a fine of up to ₦300,000 on healthcare professionals and facilities over delays in providing emergency medical treatment.
The proposed legislation, which has reportedly passed its second reading in the Senate, seeks to introduce mandatory timelines for emergency treatment and patient referrals.
However, NARD says while it supports efforts to ensure prompt emergency medical care and protect patients from avoidable harm, criminalising healthcare professionals without addressing the underlying challenges in the health sector is unacceptable.
In a statement, the association described the proposed legislation as punitive, arguing that doctors should not be punished for systemic failures arising from years of inadequate government investment in healthcare.
NARD noted that healthcare professionals across the country continue to work under difficult conditions, with many hospitals struggling with obsolete medical equipment, inadequate staffing, unreliable electricity, insufficient emergency supplies and deteriorating infrastructure.
It maintained that these challenges are largely consequences of institutional neglect rather than professional negligence.
The association also expressed concern that lawmakers were prioritising punitive measures against frontline healthcare workers while Nigeria continues to fall short of the 15 per cent health budget allocation commitment under the Abuja Declaration.
NARD therefore challenged the National Assembly to demonstrate equal legislative urgency in addressing the country's healthcare deficiencies through adequate funding, functional emergency departments, modern diagnostic equipment, uninterrupted power supply, reliable ambulance services and sufficient medical personnel.
The association stressed that effective emergency healthcare delivery cannot be achieved through legislation alone, insisting that hospitals must first be adequately equipped and staffed to meet the demands of patients.
It also called on lawmakers to subject themselves to the same standards of accountability they seek to impose on healthcare professionals.
NARD maintained that any attempt to introduce criminal penalties for delays in emergency treatment must be accompanied by deliberate government action to address the structural weaknesses confronting Nigeria's healthcare system.
