The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has opposed a proposed six-month jail term or ₦300,000 fine for healthcare professionals over emergency treatment delays, blaming poor healthcare infrastructure and systemic failures for challenges in emergency care.
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has rejected a proposed legislation seeking to impose a six-month jail term or a ₦300,000 fine on healthcare professionals over delays in providing emergency medical treatment.
NARD President, Dr Ogar Idoko, disclosed the association’s position in a statement issued in Calabar on Friday, describing the proposed amendment to the National Health Act as punitive and unfair to doctors working under difficult conditions.
Idoko acknowledged the importance of prompt emergency medical care and the protection of patients but argued that healthcare professionals should not be criminalised for failures resulting from inadequate infrastructure and institutional shortcomings.
He said doctors across the country continued to work with obsolete medical equipment, inadequate staffing, unreliable electricity and insufficient emergency medical supplies.
“The challenges are consequences of longstanding institutional neglect rather than professional negligence, so I urge lawmakers to prioritise healthcare funding and infrastructure.
“We also challenge the National Assembly to demonstrate similar legislative urgency in providing functional emergency departments, modern diagnostic equipment, reliable ambulance services and adequate personnel,” he said.
The NARD president urged lawmakers to consider legislation compelling public office holders to patronise Nigerian government hospitals, with appropriate sanctions for the misuse of public resources on avoidable overseas medical treatment.
He warned that introducing additional criminal penalties against already overstretched healthcare professionals could worsen the country’s brain drain, popularly referred to as the “Japan syndrome.”
Although he acknowledged that the proposed bill reportedly contained safeguards for circumstances beyond the control of medical practitioners, Idoko insisted that such protections must be clearly stated and enforceable.
He called for the withdrawal and reconsideration of the proposed punitive provisions, alongside consultations involving healthcare associations, hospital administrators, patient representatives and other relevant stakeholders.
Idoko also urged the National Assembly to prioritise legislation guaranteeing adequate healthcare funding, minimum emergency-care standards, appropriate staffing, uninterrupted electricity and functional referral systems.
He warned that NARD would consider all lawful options, including nationwide industrial action, if lawmakers proceeded with legislation that unjustly criminalised doctors for institutional failures.
“We will consider all lawful options, including nationwide industrial action, if lawmakers proceeded with legislation unjustly criminalising doctors for institutional failures.
“We, however, pledge to make necessary arrangements to protect emergency and critically ill patients during any industrial action, while we reaffirm our commitment to patient safety and quality healthcare,” he said.
The Senate is currently considering a bill seeking to penalise hospitals and healthcare workers who refuse or delay emergency medical treatment.
The proposed legislation, sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, representing Katsina Central Senatorial District, passed its second reading on Wednesday.
The bill seeks to strengthen accountability in emergency healthcare delivery, but its proposed penalties have drawn opposition from resident doctors, who insist that improving healthcare infrastructure and working conditions must go hand in hand with efforts to protect patients.
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