By David Torough, Abuja

The Senate has advanced a bill seeking to criminalise the rejection or neglect of patients requiring emergency medical attention, proposing a six-month jail term, a fine of up to N300,000, or both for healthcare facilities and personnel found guilty of violating prescribed emergency treatment standards.

The National Health Act Amendment Bill 2026, sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua (APC, Katsina Central), was passed for second reading at Wednesday’s plenary.

It seeks to amend the National Health Act 2014 by establishing enforceable timelines for emergency assessment, treatment, stabilisation and patient referral across public and private healthcare facilities in Nigeria.

Leading the debate, Yar’Adua said the proposed legislation was designed to address critical gaps in the country’s healthcare system and curb preventable deaths arising from delays in accessing emergency medical services.

He stressed that every Nigerian must receive timely and life-saving medical attention during emergencies, irrespective of social status, wealth, influence or geographical location.

According to him, the bill proposes that hospitals assess emergency patients within 15 minutes of arrival and commence initial stabilisation within 30 minutes, while life-saving interventions must begin immediately once a life-threatening condition is identified.

The proposed measures include oxygen administration, intravenous fluids, pain relief and preliminary diagnostic procedures, alongside urgent interventions such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, airway management and bleeding control.

The bill also provides for the assignment of hospital beds within two hours of a patient’s arrival, subject to availability. Where beds are unavailable, facilities would be required to stabilise patients and initiate referral arrangements within two hours or as soon as they are assessed and considered stable for transfer.

Hospitals referring patients to other facilities would also be required to commence ambulance dispatch or arrange alternative transportation within 30 minutes of making the referral decision. The proposed referral framework is expected to strengthen coordination among primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare institutions.

Yar’Adua further disclosed that the amendment would require the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria to jointly develop and maintain a standardised national emergency care curriculum.

Healthcare workers involved in emergency medical services would be required to undergo training and certification at intervals not exceeding 18 months.

He said the bill was consistent with international practices in countries including Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The senator also noted that Nigeria accounts for approximately 10 per cent of global maternal deaths, attributing part of the challenge to delays in accessing emergency obstetric care.

Supporting the proposed legislation, Senate Whip, Senator Mohammed Monguno (APC, Borno North), said it would help address avoidable deaths arising from road accidents, maternal emergencies and other life-threatening situations.

He lamented that some hospitals neglected emergency patients, resulting in preventable fatalities, adding that criminal liability would discourage such practices and strengthen accountability in the healthcare sector.

Similarly, Senator Diket Plang (APC, Plateau Central) backed the bill, describing it as particularly important for rural communities where complications during childbirth often require urgent referrals from primary healthcare centres to higher-level facilities.

Plang emphasised that patients must be stabilised before transportation to prevent avoidable deaths during emergency transfers.

However, Senator Francis Faduyile (APC, Ondo South) cautioned against imposing criminal sanctions on healthcare professionals without first addressing the systemic challenges confronting hospitals.

He argued that inadequate medical equipment, shortages of doctors, insufficient oxygen supplies and poor funding could make compliance with the proposed timelines difficult.

Faduyile questioned how a doctor attending to several patients simultaneously could be held criminally responsible when another emergency case arrived, stressing that healthcare workers should not be punished for circumstances beyond their control.

He also raised concerns about the financial burden on private healthcare providers, who often provide emergency services without immediate reimbursement.

The senator called for a broader review of the National Health Act to address the structural weaknesses of the healthcare system rather than concentrating primarily on punitive measures.

The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South), said the debate had exposed several gaps requiring legislative attention.

He expressed optimism that the committee stage and a proposed public hearing would provide opportunities for healthcare professionals and other stakeholders to contribute to the bill.

Moro also condemned the practice of hospitals demanding police reports before treating emergency patients, insisting that saving lives must take precedence over administrative procedures.

He cited experiences in Mexico, where emergency responders and ambulances reportedly attend promptly to accident victims, helping to prevent avoidable deaths.

In his remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio said the debate had highlighted significant challenges in Nigeria’s healthcare delivery system, urging lawmakers to support the bill’s progression while ensuring that identified shortcomings were addressed through further deliberations.

Akpabio stressed the need for the Federal Government, state governments and local government authorities to work together to provide the infrastructure, personnel and resources required for effective healthcare delivery.

The proposed amendment is expected to balance accountability for hospitals that wilfully neglect emergency patients with safeguards for healthcare workers acting in good faith under documented resource constraints.

Following its passage for second reading, the Senate referred the bill to its Committee on Health, directing it to report back within four weeks.

The proposed legislation will subsequently undergo further scrutiny, including stakeholder consultations, before lawmakers decide on its final passage.

From Francis Sadhere, Delta

Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has urged civil service commissions across the country to prioritise continuous training and retraining of personnel to improve efficiency and strengthen public administration.

The Governor said regular capacity development was essential for building a competent workforce capable of responding to emerging administrative challenges and meeting the demands of modern governance.

Oborevwori made the call on Monday in Asaba while receiving members of the Federal Civil Service Commission, led by its Chairman, Prof.

Tunji Olaopa, on a courtesy visit.

Represented by his Deputy, Sir Monday Onyeme, Ph.D., the Governor maintained that the effectiveness of government institutions depended largely on the quality, welfare and professional competence of their workforce.

He noted that rapid changes in global administrative practices had made continuous learning imperative for civil servants at both state and federal levels.

According to him, Delta State has continued to invest in the welfare and professional development of its workforce, a commitment he said had positioned the state’s civil service among the best in the country.

Oborevwori also called on the leadership of the National Council on Civil Service to encourage civil service commissions across the federation to embrace sustained manpower development.

He expressed delight that Delta State was hosting the 2026 edition of the National Council on Civil Service, describing the event as an opportunity to showcase the state’s commitment to excellence in public administration.

“We are very happy to host the 2026 edition of your National Council; Delta State likes to be first in everything, and our civil service stands among the best in the country because our personnel are properly trained and their welfare is prioritised,” he said.

The Governor added that keeping public institutions abreast of changing global standards required deliberate investment in continuous training and retraining.

“Things are changing rapidly across the globe, and continuous training and retraining remain the only path to keeping our institutions abreast of modern demands.

“I urge the leadership of the National Council to encourage civil service commissions across the federation to adopt this continuous learning approach,” he said.

Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Prof. Tunji Olaopa, commended the Oborevwori administration for hosting the national gathering.

Olaopa explained that the annual event features a targeted conference aimed at addressing contemporary issues in the civil service, advancing reforms and shaping the future of public administration in Nigeria.

He also applauded Governor Oborevwori for his performance and developmental strides across Delta State.

From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja

The Kogi State Government has defended the recent review of tuition fees at Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba, (PAAU) saying that the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Salisu Usman acted in line with government directive.

Government also said that the review was part of a unified policy aimed at harmonising charges across all state-owned universities.

The Vice Chancellor of Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU), Anyigba, Prof. Salisu Ogbo Usman, and the Commissioner for Education, Hon. Wemi Jones, made this clarification on Monday while appearing before the Kogi State House of Assembly Committee on Education over a petition alleging an increase in school fees at PAAU and Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja.

The committee, chaired by Alhaji Idris Maikudi, also had Hon. Bode Ogunmola, representing Ogori-Magongo, and Hon. Abu Jibril, representing Ajaokuta State Constituency, in attendance.

Explaining the rationale behind the review, the Commissioner for Education said adjustments to school fees were never undertaken in isolation, noting that the state government usually sets up a committee to accommodate different interests whenever such a review becomes necessary, particularly in view of the administration’s free education policy.

Jones disclosed that a letter conveying the directive for the fee review was sent to PAAU as far back as 2024 but was not fully implemented at the time.

He said the current implementation was in line with a uniform fee structure for state-owned universities, which had already been adopted by other institutions in the state.

In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Usman, maintained that the university merely implemented the state government’s directive, stressing that his administration did not independently increase the fees.

He said his humble background had naturally made him sympathetic to the plight of students and parents, but added that as the head of an institution, he was obligated to operate within the provisions of the law and government policies.

The Vice Chancellor further argued that despite the review, fees charged by Kogi State universities remained considerably lower than those of neighbouring states.

He cited Edo, Ekiti, Ondo and Osun States as examples, where students studying Medicine and Law pay significantly higher fees, in response to questions from members of the committee.

Prof. Usman also highlighted the state government’s investment in sustaining Medical Sciences programmes, recalling that the Medical programme at PAAU collapsed in 2012, forcing students to be transferred to Ebonyi and Kaduna States to complete their studies.

He said the administration of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo had addressed the challenge by putting structures in place to sustain medical training in two state-owned universities.

The Vice Chancellor urged students to take advantage of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), revealing that 4,032 students of the university had been approved for the scheme, with N562 million cleared for payment.

He added that applications from another 600 students were being processed, while beneficiaries were also entitled to a monthly upkeep allowance of N20,000.

On the allegation involving Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, the Rector, Prof. Salihu Sanusi Avidime, said he was not aware of any petition concerning an increase in fees, insisting that his administration had not raised school charges.

Rather, he explained that the institution had reduced accommodation fees following complaints by parents over accommodation challenges.

The Commissioner for Education corroborated the Rector’s position, describing the inclusion of the Polytechnic in the petition as strange and frivolous.

Meanwhile, the House Committee cautioned individuals and groups against submitting petitions to the Assembly without making themselves available to defend the allegations contained therein.

The committee observed that such practice amounted to a waste of legislative time and was unfair to institutions invited to respond to claims that had not been substantiated.

However, the lawmakers requested additional documents as part of efforts to conduct a thorough examination of the petition, assuring that the matter would be handled with due diligence and in accordance with legislative procedures in the interest of the institutions and students.

In their separate appeals, the National Chairman of the National Association of Kogi State Students (NAKOSS), Comrade Isiaka Amoto, and the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Adams Abdulrazaq, urged the lawmakers to prevail on Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo to reconsider the fees with a view to effecting a slight reduction to ease the financial burden on students and their parents.