On Wednesday, November 4, 2026, the House of Representatives successfully moved HB. 2739, A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Health Act, No. 18 of 2014 to strengthen the Provision of Emergency Medical Treatment, provide for Mandatory Triage, Stabilisation and Referral Protocols in Healthcare Facilities and for Related Matters to its Second Reading as they push to prioritize life-saving care.
The landmark legislation Hon. Akintunde Rotimi aims to address systemic gaps in emergency medical responses across the country, ensuring that no hospital turns away critically ill or injured patients due to bureaucratic or financial hurdles. Stressing the critical necessity of the Bill on the floor of the House, he stated that “In a medical emergency, human life is of essence”
The proposed amendments directly target the preventable loss of lives resulting from delays in emergency care, introducing rigorous and enforceable standards:
- The bill legally binds all healthcare facilities, public and private, to provide immediate, life-saving medical attention to emergency patients without demanding upfront payment or deposits.
- It institutes mandatory, professional triage guidelines across all medical facilities to ensure incoming patients are rapidly assessed, categorized, and treated based on medical urgency.
- Facilities are legally obligated to stabilize critical patients before considering any administrative transfers or referrals, significantly reducing mortality rates during transit.
- The legislation establishes clear, inter-facility communication and referral protocols to ensure seamless, safe patient transport when higher levels of care are required.
- By building directly upon the foundational 2014 framework, the amendment closes existing enforcement loopholes and enhances accountability across the healthcare sector.
Defending the bill on the floor of the House, proponents and sponsors emphasized that access to prompt emergency care is a fundamental right that must be legally protected. For years, tragic incidents of patients being rejected by hospitals due to lack of immediate cash or administrative red tape have sparked national outcry.
The Bill was referred to the Committee on Health Care Services for further legislative action.
