The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has strongly rejected a proposed Senate bill seeking to impose a six-month jail term or a ₦300,000 fine on healthcare workers for delaying emergency medical care.
In a statement issued Friday in Calabar, NARD President Dr. Ogar Idoko labeled the proposed amendment to the National Health Act as ‘punitive,’ arguing that medical professionals should not be criminalized for systemic failures caused by inadequate infrastructure.
‘Doctors nationwide work under difficult conditions, including obsolete equipment, inadequate staffing, unreliable electricity, and insufficient emergency medical supplies,’ Idoko said. He stressed that emergency delays stem from decades of institutional neglect rather than professional negligence.
Idoko urged lawmakers to address core infrastructure deficits, challenge public office holders to seek care in local hospitals rather than traveling abroad, and consult key stakeholders before passing punitive legislation. He warned that NARD would consider all lawful options, including nationwide industrial action, if the bill advances without reform.
