It’s now a crime to reject accident victims’

A civil society organisation, Health Sector Reform Coalition, has commended the signing into law of the National Health Bill, warning that henceforth “there should be no more rejection of accident and emergency victims by both public and private hospitals; no excuse for failure of health services for Nigerians.”

The new health law, it also said, “Provides for severe punishment and imprisonment for removal of human organs and prohibits reproductive and therapeutic cloning of human kind.”

The HSRC also hailed the National Assembly for the quick passage of the bill, saying the development showed that members of the legislature were truly representing the people who elected them.

Lecky explained that the law required universal acceptance of accident and emergency cases by health facilities, both public and private.

“The new health law empowers the Minister of Health to promptly resolve, within a forthnight, any industrial action in the health sector, which is one of the persistent challenges confronting healthcare development in Nigeria”, he explained.

Lecky added, “As a CSO platform, we accept that the journey to this point has been tortuous which has turned out to be well worth it. We also recognise that the Health Act remains a framework for which we need to quickly reorganise, reenergise and refocus to take on the undoubtedly arduous task ahead of developing appropriate policy guidance and mechanisms to make the Health Act work.

Culled from Punch