The Home of Representatives has proposed seven years jail time period and N500 million high quality for any public officer of the federal government of the federation or any half thereof, for in search of undue medical check-up or therapy overseas.
The proposal is contained in a Invoice for an Act to amend the Nationwide Well being Act, 2014 which scaled by second studying within the Inexperienced Chamber at plenary on Wednesday.
Sponsored by Sergius Ogun, from Edo State, the proposed laws seeks to amend the Principal Act (Nationwide Well being Act, 2014) to make provision for sanctions towards any public officer who violates the provisions of the regulation, particularly Part 46.
Part 46 of the Nationwide Well being Act,2014 offers that: “With out prejudice to the precise of any Nigerian to hunt medical check-up, investigation or therapy anyplace inside and outdoors Nigeria, no public officer of the Authorities of the Federation or any half thereof shall be sponsored for medical check-up, investigation or therapy overseas at public expense besides in distinctive circumstances on the advice and referral by the medical board and which suggestion and referral shall be poop duly authorized by the Minister or Commissioner of well being of the State because the case could also be.”
Consequently, clause 2(2) of the proposed modification offers that; “Any public officer of the Authorities of the Federation or any half thereof who violates the availability above shall be responsible of an offence and liable on conviction to a high quality of N500,000,000 or to an imprisonment time period of seven years, or each.”
In his lead debate Ogun mentioned if handed into regulation, the Invoice will curtail the extreme medical journeys of public officers overseas and direct their consideration to fixing the poor state of the nation’s well being sector.
He mentioned this may in flip result in the event of the well being sector, improved remuneration for medical Docs, thus attracting Nigerian Docs overseas to return again residence.
“This invoice, when handed into regulation, will reveal authorities’s dedication to the welfare of her residents within the sense that funds which have been hitherto expended in overseas medical journeys will probably be redirected into constructing an environment friendly and efficient well being care system within the nation. It will in flip positively impression on the lives and wellbeing of the individuals.
“This Invoice will cease the export of money overseas and redirect identical to the event of our financial system. This money which flies overseas within the disguise of 1 medical journey or the opposite will probably be retained right here in our nation and be used to develop our nation,” Ogun acknowledged.
He additional argued that the Invoice would cut back the export of Nigerian medical Docs overseas, which is among the many many challenges going through the nation’s well being care sector.
“The poor consideration being given to the nation’s well being sector, accounts for this and has resulted in a scarcity of medical Docs within the nation,” the lawmaker mentioned. Supply: DailyPost
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