Emergency sufferers: Fix hospitals earlier than punishing well being staff – NMA tells NASS

The president of the affiliation, Prof. Afekhide Ernest Omoti, who acknowledged this in an announcement made out there to journalists in Benin City on Thursday, November 5, 2026, described the proposed sanctions as unjust.

Omoti, nonetheless, referred to as on the National Assembly to carry governments accountable for failing to supply the sources, infrastructure and enabling setting required for efficient emergency medical providers.

He urged lawmakers to deal with the systemic challenges confronting the nation’s healthcare sector somewhat than introduce punitive measures in opposition to well being professionals.

He famous that the National Health Act, NHA, had already offered a authorized framework for safeguarding sufferers requiring emergency medical therapy, stressing that present provisions prohibit the refusal of emergency care.

He stated it was basically unfair to impose legal legal responsibility on healthcare staff and hospitals for failing to supply providers when governments had not fulfilled their accountability to supply the mandatory sources and enabling setting.

The NMA president stated the crucial query was not essentially the absence of laws however the failure to implement present provisions and create the enabling setting for his or her efficient execution.

“Of particular importance is Section 6 of the National Health Act, which establishes the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, BHCPF, and provides for the funding of emergency medical treatment.

“This provision recognises that emergency care requires monetary assist and that healthcare amenities should not be left to bear the price of offering such providers with out acceptable reimbursement,” he said.

Omoti lamented that the implementation of the BHCPF remained inadequate, leaving hospitals and healthcare facilities that provide emergency treatment to bear considerable financial costs without the expected refunds or reimbursement.

“This creates an unsustainable state of affairs wherein hospitals are anticipated to supply emergency care with out the mandatory monetary assist,” he added.

He further identified the shortage of doctors and other healthcare professionals as a major challenge confronting the country’s healthcare system.

He attributed the situation to poor remuneration, unfavourable working conditions, inadequate infrastructure, insecurity, excessive workloads and the general lack of an enabling professional environment.

According to him, these challenges have contributed to the alarming migration of Nigerian doctors and nurses to other countries, including neighbouring African countries where conditions of service are increasingly attractive.

“Our hospitals are consequently working with dangerously insufficient manpower. In a number of amenities, the few out there docs are anticipated to handle overwhelming affected person masses, typically underneath extraordinarily tough circumstances and with out sufficient assist,” he stated.

The NMA president also decried the deplorable state of infrastructure and a persistent shortage of essential medical supplies across hospitals in the country.

He listed oxygen, essential drugs, blood and blood products, resuscitation equipment, medical consumables, functional ambulances and other life-saving facilities as basic emergency-care requirements that are not readily available in many healthcare institutions.

He questioned how doctors could be expected to provide emergency treatment when hospitals lacked the basic equipment and supplies needed to save lives.

“How can we moderately count on a physician to supply emergency care when the hospital lacks the fundamental gear, medication and consumables required to save lots of a life?

“How can we threaten health workers with imprisonment for circumstances that are substantially beyond their control?” he queried.

He suggested the National Assembly to deal with the basic deficiencies within the healthcare system somewhat than introduce punitive measures that might additional demoralise an already distressed workforce.

He additionally urged the Senate to rethink the proposed modification in its current type and redirect its legislative efforts in the direction of addressing the challenges undermining emergency healthcare supply in Nigeria.