Doctors oppose proposed emergency care penalties

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors has rejected proposed penalties of up to six months in prison or a ₦300,000 fine for healthcare workers and hospitals over delays in emergency care, calling for the punitive provisions to be withdrawn. The association says clinicians should not face criminal punishment for delays caused by shortages and failures in the health system. The proposed amendment to the National Health Act has passed second reading in the Senate but has not become law, according to the reports. It would establish timelines for emergency treatment and referral. One report says patients would have to be assessed within 15 minutes, stabilised within 30 minutes and referred within three hours where necessary; those timelines were not detailed in the other accounts. In a statement issued on November 5 and signed by NARD President Dr. Ogar Emmanuel Idoko, Secretary-General Dr. Besongngem Akotanchi and Publicity and Social Secretary Dr. Ashimom Timothy, the association said it supports prompt emergency treatment but opposes penalties that do not account for hospitals’ ability to provide it. NARD cited obsolete equipment, inadequate staffing, unreliable...