Lawyers fault demands for deposits before emergency treatment

Lagos-based lawyers say Nigeria’s 2014 National Health Act prohibits healthcare providers from refusing emergency treatment because a patient cannot pay a deposit, and violations may attract legal sanctions. Odinichionye Egwuenu said the rule applies to public and private hospitals, while calling for stronger emergency funding and reimbursement systems to address hospitals’ financial pressures. She also cited the 2017 law on victims of gunshot injuries, which requires treatment without deposits or prior police clearance and requires hospitals to notify the police within two hours. The lawyers called for safeguards for practitioners who set aside internal payment rules to provide emergency care.