The proposal is contained in a Bill for an Act to amend the National Health Act, 2014 which scaled through second reading in the Green Chamber at plenary on Wednesday February 9,2022.
The Bill sponsored by Sergius Ogun, from Edo State seeks to amend the Principal Act (National Health Act, 2014) to make provision for sanctions against any public officer who violates the provisions of the law, especially Section 46.
Section 46 of the National Health Act,2014 provides that: “Without prejudice to the right of any Nigerian to seek medical check-up, investigation or treatment anywhere within and outside Nigeria, no public officer of the Government of the Federation or any part thereof shall be sponsored for medical check-up, investigation or treatment abroad at public expense except in exceptional cases on the recommendation and referral by the medical board and which recommendation and referral shall be poop duly approved by the Minister or Commissioner of health of the State as the case may be.”
Consequently, clause 2(2) of the proposed amendment provides that; “Any public officer of the Government of the Federation or any part thereof who violates the provision above shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of N500,000,000 or to an imprisonment term of seven years, or both.”
“This bill, when passed into law, will demonstrate government’s commitment to the welfare of her citizens in the sense that funds which were hitherto expended in foreign medical trips will be redirected into building an efficient and effective health care system in the country. This will in turn positively impact on the lives and wellbeing of the people.
“This Bill will stop the export of cash abroad and redirect same to the development of our economy. This cash which flies abroad in the disguise of one medical trip or the other will be retained here in our country and be used to develop our nation,” Ogun stated.
“The poor attention being given to the country’s health sector, accounts for this and has resulted in a shortage of medical Doctors in the country,” the lawmaker said.
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Let's see how it goes
ReplyDeleteIt won't make the final reading and won't be signed into law.
DeleteIf only the law will stand, it will favor those on their side and affect the vulnerable
ReplyDeleteSee talk! So he or she would write it out that they are going for medical treatment!
ReplyDeleteWaste of time and energy. The bill is dead on arrival 🙄
ReplyDeleteHmmm. We'll be watching to see how it goes.
ReplyDelete🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 They themselves know this won't hold nau. Mtcheeww
ReplyDeleteI laugh in Osofia's voice. This will never happen.
ReplyDelete😳😳🙄🙄
ReplyDeleteI laugh in Swahili... who are they fooling
ReplyDeleteIf not because of greed, with the kind of money in their possession do they need medical sponsorship?. Just seek in and out of the country.
ReplyDelete😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
ReplyDeleteI am not impressed with that rubbish bill
ReplyDeleteUseless people
ReplyDeleteWhy can't they propose this for bandits and terrorists?
They should propose this for corrupt public office holders. Thieves!
ReplyDeleteSmh. Better don't develop hbp.
DeleteHahaha, so rich coming from them! Can you imagine the audacity of these men and women joking aggressively with our intelligence. In fact we are their audience while they are our comedians entertaining us from the hallowed chambers.
ReplyDeleteLet's see what happens next and the plans on how this will be implemented.
They killed the bill even before introducing it. That word "undue" is the killer.
ReplyDeleteJust like the 14 years jail term for homos right?
Yinmu
ReplyDeleteSo all this going abroad for 'health reasons' is simply siphoning money out of the country. What will we not hear in these times.
ReplyDelete