29/11/2025
THE HEALTHCARE RIGHT NIGERIANS DON’T KNOW THEY HAVE AND HOW HOSPITALS ARE BREAKING THE LAW EVERY DAY.
Most Nigerians don’t know this, and that ignorance is costing lives:
Since 2014, there has been a powerful law in Nigeria that gives every citizen the right to FREE emergency healthcare and basic medical services.
This law is called:
THE NATIONAL HEALTH ACT (NHA), 2014
Signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan in October 2014.
And yet, 10 years later, millions of Nigerians still don’t know it exists. Hospitals disregard the law and Ministry of Health embezzles the funds meant for it.
HERE’S WHAT THIS LAW GUARANTEES YOU (AND THEY DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW)
Under SECTION 20, SECTION 27, and SECTION 29 of the National Health Act:
1. No hospital in Nigeria has the right to reject you during an emergency whether you have money or not.
This means:
-Accident victims
-Pregnant women in labour
-Gunshot victims
-Stroke victims
-Heart attack and asthma patients
-Children in critical condition
MUST be treated immediately whether they have money or not.
It is ILLEGAL for hospitals to demand money before saving a life.
This includes:
-Government hospitals
-Private hospitals
-Clinics
-Mission hospitals
-Specialist centres
-Teaching hospitals
-CHEWs and PHCs
ALL HEALTH FACILITIES are bound by this law.
Yes, private hospitals are also obligated to stabilize emergency patients before talking about money.
This is not advice. This is not a plea.
This is federal law.
2. The Law Also Guarantees Free Essential Healthcare Nationwide
The Act mandates that every Nigerian is entitled to a Basic Minimum Package of Health Services (BMHS), which includes:
-Free immunization
-Free antenatal care
-Free childbirth services
-Free family planning services
-Free treatment for common illnesses at PHCs
-Free care for children under 5
-Free emergency stabilization
These are not promises.
These are legal entitlements you can hold the government ad hospitals accountable for.
3.