The Speaker House of Representatives, Dr. Tajudeen Abbas, says the National Assembly will come up with reforms in Nigeria’s healthcare sector that will help save the lives of young Nigerians who, out of desperation, sell their organs for a pittance without understanding the health implications.
Dr. Tajudeen stated this in Abuja at a public hearing organised by the House Committee on Healthcare Services on seven health-related bills
Represented by the Deputy Chief Whip, Mr. Ibrahim Isiaka, the Speaker said the proposed laws would address gaps in the medical system, strengthen ethical standards, and ensure uniform regulation across healthcare practices in the country.
“There is no doubt that the passage of these bills will directly impact the healthcare sector of our economy and save the lives of innocent young people who in desperation sell their organs for pittance, without the benefit of medical advice on the future implications of their actions on their health,”
The Speaker said the House was determined to close gaps in medical regulation, especially in sensitive areas like organ transplantation and surrogacy, which have so far operated with limited oversight.
“It is important to establish ethical frameworks for organ donation and transplantation,” he said. “It is important to provide legal clarity for surrogacy arrangements, especially as it pertains to the commercial aspect of this sensitive venture.
” He also noted that the proposed laws would build capacity in dialysis services, enhance primary healthcare delivery, and address the country’s health workforce crisis, worsened by the emigration of professionals abroad.
Dr. Tajudeen explained that standardising healthcare practices and tightening regulations would not only reduce illegal activities such as organ trafficking but also save lives and boost productivity.
“By filling existing weaknesses in the sector, from lax regulations to poor standardization and eroding professionalism, these bills have the potential to reduce crime, save lives, and improve productivity while also strengthening the economy,” the Speaker said.
The Speaker, who commended the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Amos Gwamna Magaji, and members for their diligence, said the bills were part of efforts to build a more accountable and ethically compliant healthcare system in line with the 10th House’s Legislative Agenda.
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Services, Dr. Amos Gwamna Magaji, reaffirmed the committee’s commitment to transparent, inclusive, and people-centered lawmaking aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare system and ensuring equitable access to quality services..
He described the hearing as a vital democratic process through which citizens and stakeholders can actively shape legislation that affects the nation’s wellbeing.
The Committee Chairman said the committee is determined to ensure that every citizen has access to quality, affordable, and equitable health services.
Dr. Magaji emphasised that collaboration and open dialogue are essential to creating effective, sustainable healthcare laws that address the sector’s challenges and support Nigeria’s march toward universal health coverage.
The bills under consideration include one seeking to establish a regulatory body for organ harvesting, transplantation, and donations; another to create the Nigeria Surrogacy Regulatory Commission for the monitoring and supervision of surrogacy arrangements; and a bill to amend the National Health Act of 2014 to provide for a National Quality Accreditation Commission and a Federal Tertiary Health Institutions Commission.
Others are a bill to establish the Chartered Institute of Medical Dialysis Studies; a bill to amend the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency Act to improve efficiency; a bill to provide for the retirement age of health workers; and another to amend the National Health Act to prohibit and penalise organ trafficking.
