It was an intriguing public hearing at the Senate as the Medical Association (NMA) on Monday differed with the Senate’s on a proposal in a Bill which seeks to criminalize the refusal of any health institution to give medical treatment in emergency situations.
The contentious section of the bill recommends six months imprisonment or N100,000 fine for any medical doctor who fails to treat emergency cases for any reason.
However, the sponsor of the bill, and chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa maintained that the paramount responsibility for any medical practitioner is saving lives especially in emergency situations.
But NMA in its presentation by Dr. Osahon Enabulele argued that if the bill seeks to punish refusal to treat emergency cases, the bill should also state categorically who foots the bill for the treatment of emergency cases.
In a bid to find a middle ground on the matter, the Minister OF Health in his presentation before the committee, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu said the Federal government would make budgetary provision for emergency situation.
Declaring the hearing open, Senate President, Senator David Mark, who was represented by his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, was disturbed by the huge fund that goes into medical tourism.
He further appealed to all stakeholders in the health sector to close rank and work toward the passage of the health bill into law.
He added that the country cannot continue to spend huge amount of money medical treatment in foreign countries.
In his words, “I will like to appeal to all sectors (various professionals) in the health sector to close ranks and work together and ensure that this bill is passed into law. Because most times you hear that the doctors are having problems with the pharmacists or nurses are in disagreement with other professionals in the sector.
“I am aware that Nigerians continue to go abroad for medical treatment. It’s not only the rich, even the poor do so because churches contribute money to send people abroad for treatment, families contribute money, communities contribute money to send their relations abroad for treatment .
“And we cannot continue that way. We need to refocus our health sector, we need to reform our health sector so that all those money that are being spent going abroad for treatment are spent here in Nigeria and that our brothers and sisters who are experts all over the world would come back to Nigeria and establish to help us run a perfect healthcare system.
“And if you go abroad you will see that most of the medical experts abroad are Nigerians. And I think that there is need for sufficient education on all the health components to remove the ignorance and bias of our people.”