THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE IN NIGERIA: MESSIAH OR MIRAGE?

Abstract

Emergency medical care is the provision of medical care to patients with life- threatening conditions who require urgent treatment. From a policy perspective, emergency medical services (EMS) are one of the higher profile aspects of the health system as they are the first point of contact with the health system for many people. It is that care delivered in the first few hours after the onset of an acute medical or obstetric problem or the occurrence of an injury, including care delivered inside a fixed facility. This paper attempts an appraisal of the legal framework for Emergency Care Services in Nigeria. This paper draws a comparison with the American medical system by looking at the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labour Act (EMTALA) of the United States. The paper found that even though there are laws on Emergence care medicine in Nigeria but there is a dearth implementation of the said laws. The paper also found that even though the legal framework and policies regarding emergency care medicine seems adequate, on the face of it, a lot of work needs to be done regarding its implementation and sanctions on erring medical professionals. The paper further found that patients are not aware of these laws and hence, have no use for them. The paper therefore recommends adequate implementation of the law on emergency care so that medical practitioners would face the wrath of the law services in Nigeria.