The Association of Nigeria Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMP) has urged the National Assembly to review punitive provisions in the proposed National Health Act Amendment Bill 2026.
The association’s National President, Dr Ernest Chukwuma, warned that imposing fines and possible jail terms on practitioners over emergency care could worsen the challenges facing the private healthcare sector.
Chukwuma, in an interview on Friday, said no doctor should refuse or delay treatment for patients requiring emergency care.
He, however, argued that legislation must consider the practical challenges facing healthcare facilities, particularly private hospitals.
He questioned the proposed N300,000 fine for practitioners who refuse to receive emergency patients, saying doctors should not be held solely responsible for delays caused by other departments, including diagnostic laboratories and pharmacies.
Chukwuma also explained that referring patients to better-equipped facilities does not amount to refusing care but is sometimes necessary when a hospital lacks the capacity to handle a particular emergency.
He said private hospitals were already struggling with high operating costs, multiple taxation, staff shortages and expensive medical equipment.
“The private health sector has been sacrificially subsidising the treatment of Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs) patients in this country, and the indigent in society, without being compelled.
“There’s no sincere, clear-cut institutional support for private hospitals,” he said.
The ANPMP president further raised concerns over patients’ expectations and increasing cases of assault and physical abuse against healthcare workers and facilities.
According to him, several private practitioners have been forced to shut down due to unfavourable policies and mounting financial pressures.
While acknowledging the need for regulation, Chukwuma urged lawmakers to adopt a partnership-driven approach rather than rely mainly on enforcement and punishment.
He recommended replacing compulsory language in the bill with provisions encouraging doctors to attend to emergency cases.
He also called for structured loans and grants to support private hospitals in providing unpaid emergency treatment, an end to multiple taxation and urgent measures to address shortages and rising costs of medical personnel and equipment.
On emergency care funding, Chukwuma faulted the provision limiting coverage of the first 48 hours of treatment to patients conveyed in NEMSA-accredited ambulances.
He argued that the policy did not reflect the reality of emergency transportation in the country, noting that most patients arrived at hospitals without ambulances.
“Over 90 per cent of emergency patients are not brought in an ambulance. Not to talk of an accredited ambulance, is this not an irony,” he queried.
Chukwuma confirmed ANPMP’s readiness to participate in the Senate’s stakeholder consultations on the proposed amendment.
He insisted that private healthcare providers must be given an opportunity to present their concerns before the bill was passed into law.
He said their participation would help protect patients and ensure the sustainability of Nigeria’s healthcare system.
The president urged lawmakers to listen to stakeholders with an open mind, stressing that the association was not seeking exemption from regulation but a fair partnership that would strengthen healthcare delivery and protect both patients and medical practitioners.
The proposed amendment, sponsored by Sen. Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua, provides for initial assessment and triage within 15 minutes of arrival and basic stabilisation within 30 minutes.
It also proposes immediate life-saving interventions where necessary, admission within two hours, subject to bed availability and referral arrangements, and transfers generally to be completed within three hours.
The bill further proposes sanctions for failure to comply with emergency care obligations, including a N300,000 fine, imprisonment of up to six months or both.
Section 20 of the existing National Health Act 2014 already prohibits healthcare providers and facilities from refusing emergency treatment, prescribing a penalty of ₦100,000 or imprisonment of up to six months, or both.
The proposed amendment seeks to strengthen enforcement and introduce specific timelines for emergency treatment.
