A bill seeking to prescribe a jail term of seven years and,
or a fine of N500m narrowly passed second reading at the House of
Representatives on Wednesday.
Sponsored by Sergius Ogun (Peoples Democratic Party/Edo),
the legislation is titled ‘A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Health Act,
2014; and for Related Matters.’
Leading the debate on the bill, Ogun noted that the
objective of the proposal was to amend the Act “so as to make provision for
sanctions against any public officer who violates the provisions of the Act,
especially Section 46 of the Act.
The section reads, ‘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 duly approved by the Minister or Commissioner of Health of
the state as the case may be.’
Ogun said, “This bill, which seeks to amend the National
Health Act, is borne out of a desire to discourage medical treatment abroad at
the detriment of our indigenous health institutions. The need to revamp the
poor state of the health care sector in Nigeria, among other things, is the
reason for introducing this bill.
“It is no news that Nigeria’s health care system is in a
deplorable state and needs urgent attention. There is paucity of
infrastructure, dearth of medical personnel, poor standards and many other
challenges that need to be addressed. The intent of this bill is to spur public
officers to pay more attention to our health care sector and take drastic steps
to develop and improve on the sector.”
The lawmaker urged members of the House to look at the
merits of the bill and let it pass “in the interest of our nation, which is
currently going through trying times and requires drastic steps to bring it
back on its footing.”
Ogun listed the merits of the bill to include reduction of
the mass exodus of doctors from Nigeria to other countries.
“If this House passes this bill into law, it will curtail
the excessive medical trips of public officers abroad and direct their
attention to fixing the poor state of the country’s health sector. This will in
turn lead to the development of the health sector, improved remuneration for
medical Doctors, thus attracting Nigerian doctors abroad to come back home,” he
said.
The lawmaker also noted that the bill, when passed into law,
would demonstrate government’s commitment to the welfare of 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 the lives and wellbeing of the
people.”
Ogun also cited reduction of cash flight abroad, saying,
“This bill, as has been stressed above, will stop the export of cash abroad and
redirect the same to the development of our economy.”
“All of 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.”
While Ogun was making his presentation, the Deputy Speaker,
Ahmed Wase, had interjected him, asking if the lawmaker was sure of what he was
saying.
Responding, Ogun noted that the Act prohibited unapproved
spending of government funds on foreign medical services, but it failed to
prescribe the punishment for disobeying the law.
“I read the Act and the gazette is here. I was not in this
Assembly then. It is an Act; it is a law of the land today. What I am basically
doing…my amendment is saying that there should be punishment for flouting that
Act, which the Act did not capture. It could be (due to) an oversight,” he
stated.
The lawmaker, therefore, proposed insertion of Clause 2(2)
that reads, ‘Any public officer of the Government of the Federation or any part
thereof who violates the provision of Sub-section (1) above shall be guilty of
an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of N500,000,000 (five hundred
million naira) or to an imprisonment term of seven years, or both.’
The proposed punishment, however, generated a noise in the
chamber.
Ogun said, “Yes, I can hear my colleagues murmuring but let
me just read out something.”
The lawmaker made reference to an article by the pioneer
Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu,
titled ‘Capital Loss and Corruption: The Example of Nigeria,’ which was
published by Punch Newspapers on June 30, 2009, in which the author disclosed
that a former governor in Nigeria acquired four properties in London valued at
£10m; had a property in Cape Town valued at $1.2m; was also found with cash of
£1m in London, amongst others.
However, a member of the House, Ibrahim Isiaka (All
Progressives Congress/Ogun), who had seconded the motion to consider the bill
for second reading, raised a point of order to withdraw his secondment of the
proposal.
“I regret to withdraw my secondment of the bill moved and
being narrated by Hon Sergius Ogun. Mr Speaker should please give me that
special privilege and let another person…Mr Speaker, with due respect,
please…This is not that I am trying to swallow…What I have on paper is quite
different from what he is postulating. Because of that, Mr Speaker, before it
is thrown open for further debates or before you rule, I withdraw my
secondment.”
Wase, however, ruled Isiaka out of order, noting that the
rule does not allow withdrawal of secondment.
After Ogun concluded his presentation, the Deputy Speaker
put passage of the bill for second reading to voice vote and it was unanimously
approved.
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