NMA Rejects Bill Seeking To Jail Doctors Over Emergency Patients

By Trending9ja Staff • November 5, 2026 • 1 min read

The Nigerian Medical Association has rejected a proposed bill by the National Assembly aimed at imposing fines and prison terms on healthcare workers who turn away emergency patients, Daily Post reported.

In a statement issued in Benin City, NMA President Prof. Afekhide Ernest Omoti insisted that lawmakers should prioritize holding governments accountable for upgrading public hospitals. He argued that penalizing medical personnel is unfair when the government has failed to supply vital resources, funding, and a suitable work environment.

Omoti noted that Section 6 of the National Health Act already prohibits the refusal of emergency medical care and establishes the Basic Health Care Provision Fund to cover such services. However, he disclosed that poor implementation of the fund leaves healthcare facilities to bear heavy emergency treatment costs without expected government reimbursements.

The NMA president also raised concerns over the severe shortage of doctors and nurses in Nigerian hospitals, attributing the ongoing brain drain to poor remuneration, unsafe working conditions, excessive workloads, and insecurity. He noted that many health professionals are leaving Nigeria for better opportunities in other countries, leaving local facilities dangerously understaffed.

Additionally, Omoti decried the widespread lack of basic medical supplies and infrastructure across the country, including functional ambulances, oxygen, essential drugs, blood products, and resuscitation equipment. He urged the National Assembly to address these foundational problems in the health sector instead of creating punitive laws against doctors.

He emphasized that the main issue facing emergency healthcare in Nigeria is not the lack of legislation, but the failure of authorities to execute existing laws and create an enabling environment for medical practice.

Sources: Daily Post