Hospital Rejection: Reps Move To Suspend Licences As Patients Die In Search Of Emergency Care

…Four Nigerians Reportedly Die After Being Turned Away By Hospitals In Recent Cases

…Ibadan Singer Visits Nine Hospitals Before Death, Lagos Accident Victim Dies After Three Facilities Reject Him

…17-Year-Old, Six-Year-Old Among Latest Victims As Lawmakers Propose 15-minute Emergency Response

…Bill Seeks Licence Withdrawal, Compensation For Victims, Criminal Sanctions Against Erring Health Workers

Daud Olatunji

The House of Representatives has moved to tighten sanctions against hospitals that deny patients emergency medical treatment, amid disturbing reports of Nigerians losing their lives after being turned away from healthcare facilities or delayed while seeking urgent medical attention.

The proposed legislation, which seeks to amend the National Health Act 2014, has passed second reading at the House of Representatives, following renewed concerns over preventable deaths allegedly linked to hospital rejection, demands for upfront payments, inadequate emergency facilities and poorly coordinated referrals.

The development comes against the backdrop of several reported cases of patients dying after being rejected by multiple hospitals, including a 41-year-old gospel singer in Ibadan, Oyo State, who reportedly visited nine hospitals before he died.

In a recent report published by The Sun, the singer, Olayemi Bolaji, popularly known as ToluwaniSings, reportedly slumped at his residence in October and was rushed to the first hospital within 15 minutes.

However, the facility reportedly referred him elsewhere, citing inadequate facilities to manage his condition.

His family subsequently took him to eight other hospitals within two hours, but they reportedly cited lack of bed space, absence of specialists or advised that he should be taken to a teaching hospital.

By the time he eventually arrived at a tertiary healthcare facility, he had died.

In another reported incident in Lagos, a 52-year-old businessman, identified as Adewale, reportedly died while being taken to a fourth hospital after three facilities allegedly rejected him following a road accident on the Third Mainland Bridge.

According to the report, the hospitals cited lack of bed space in their emergency units.

Similarly, a 17-year-old student, Joshua Ipoku, reportedly died after two private clinics allegedly demanded an upfront payment of N200,000 before admitting him for treatment following a severe asthma attack.

His roommates reportedly could not raise the money immediately, while he died before his family could transfer the required amount.

Another case involved a six-year-old boy, Chinedu Okafor, who reportedly suffered convulsions and was turned away by two hospitals on the grounds that their paediatric emergency units were full.

Although he eventually received treatment at a third facility, he reportedly died days later after suffering brain damage.

The cases have renewed concerns about the enforcement of the National Health Act, particularly Section 20, which prohibits healthcare providers and facilities from refusing emergency medical treatment to patients.

A working paper published by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies in June 2025 also documented several deaths allegedly associated with delays in emergency treatment, particularly the practice of demanding police reports before attending to victims of gunshot injuries.