Monrovia – Sinoe County Senator Augustine Chea has introduced a bill seeking to provide free emergency and labor-related medical services at public health facilities across Liberia while prohibiting private hospitals and clinics from demanding advance payment before treating emergency patients.
By Obediah Johnson
The proposed legislation, titled “An Act to Establish Free Emergency and Labor Medical Services in Public Health Facilities and to Prohibit Requirement of Advance Payment for Emergency and Labor Care Treatment and Admission at Private Health Facilities,” was submitted during the Liberian Senate’s regular session on Thursday, June 9.
According to Senator Chea, the bill is intended to address the growing challenge of citizens being denied or delayed access to urgent medical care because they are unable to make immediate payments before receiving treatment.
He noted that pregnant women, accident victims, and other patients requiring emergency medical attention are often exposed to serious risks when healthcare services are conditioned on advance financial deposits.
The Senator explained that the legislation seeks to guarantee free emergency and labor-related healthcare services in all public health facilities throughout Liberia, while also ensuring that no patient is denied life-saving treatment due to financial constraints.
Senator Chea further stated that the bill would prohibit private health institutions from refusing treatment, admission, or stabilization of patients on the grounds of non-payment or failure to provide advance deposits.
“The enactment of this legislation will help safeguard lives, improve maternal and emergency healthcare delivery, and ensure that no citizen is deprived of urgent medical care because of economic hardship or the inability to make advance payments,” Senator Chea said.
He emphasized that all public health facilities should provide emergency and labor-related treatment free of charge, arguing that access to urgent medical care is a fundamental necessity rather than a privilege.
While acknowledging that private health facilities depend on revenue generated from their services, Senator Chea maintained that payment should not be a prerequisite for treating patients in emergency situations.
“Private health facilities operate on finances collected from patients, but the request for payment should not be a condition for treatment. They should not demand payment before attending to emergency cases. This does not happen in many parts of the world,” he said.
The lawmaker stressed that patients brought to hospitals under emergency conditions should first be admitted, stabilized, and treated before bills are generated and settled upon discharge.
He observed that many patients and their relatives are currently subjected to demands for prepayment before receiving treatment or admission at various health facilities, a practice he believes puts lives at unnecessary risk.
Meanwhile, the bill has been forwarded to the Senate Committees on Health and Judiciary for review and scrutiny before further legislative action.
