The House of Representatives yesterday urged the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Development to immediately set up a committee to ensure that all hospitals, whether private or public, as a criterion for continuous operation, must have capacity in facility and personnel to handle emergency cases across the country.
The advice was consequent upon a motion titled: “The need to prioritise and boost health emergency response and management of emergency cases in Nigerian hospitals sponsored by Hon. Rodney Ebikebina Ambaiowei.”
Presenting the motion, Ambaiowei said emergency cases are unexpected, life-threatening situations like heart attacks, strokes, severe bleeding, and natural disasters, while emergency management involves the comprehensive steps of prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery to manage these events effectively.
He also noted that Section 20 of the National Health Act, 2014, addresses emergencies by making it a statutory obligation for healthcare providers to administer emergency medical treatment to any person, regardless of their ability to pay, without any preconditions.
