The Nigerian Senate is proposing a bill seeking a six-month jail term or a fine of up to N300,000 for both public and private hospitals and healthcare providers that reject or neglect emergency patients.
The Senate passed it for second reading on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, and referred it to the Committee on Health, which has four weeks to report back.
Sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, the proposed bill seeks to amend the National Health Act, 2014, to establish enforceable standards for emergency medical treatment, healthcare workers’ training, and patient referral procedures.
The bill also seeks to require public and private hospitals to assess emergency patients within 15 minutes of arrival, begin initial stabilization within 30 minutes, and, where necessary, complete referrals to other facilities within three hours.
Leading the debate at Wednesday’s plenary, Yar’Adua said the amendment would address critical gaps in Nigeria’s healthcare system and ensure patients receive timely, life-saving treatment during emergencies, regardless of social status, wealth, influence, or location.
He said, “The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria shall jointly develop and maintain a standardised 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 18 months.
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Here are five things to know about this bill.
1. Public and private healthcare facilities licensed to provide emergency medical care in Nigeria shall 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 triage.
2. A person or health facility that contravenes any provision of this section commits an offense and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding ₦300,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six (6) months, or both.
3. The proposed amendment further requires hospitals to begin basic stabilization measures, including oxygen therapy, intravenous fluids, pain relief, and preliminary diagnostic procedures, within 30 minutes of a patient’s arrival. It also mandates immediate life-saving interventions, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, airway management, and bleeding control, once a life-threatening condition is identified.
4. Where a patient requires admission, the hospital would be required to assign a bed within two hours, subject to availability. However, facilities without available beds must immediately stabilize patients and commence referral arrangements within two hours of arrival or as soon as the patient is assessed and considered stable for transfer.
5. The bill requires hospitals to begin ambulance dispatch or arrange alternative transportation within 30 minutes of deciding to refer a patient.