Hospital Fees Law

1. Short title. This Law may be cited as the Hospital Fees Law.

2. Interpretation. In this Law "Hospital" means a Government hospital, Government dispensary or health centre; "Moneys payable in pursuance of any regulation under this Law" includes any funeral expenses incurred in the case of the death of a patient in the hospital; "Servant" means any artificer, journeyman, handicraftsman, canoeman, hammock man, carrier, messenger, labourer, domestic servant or apprentice.

3. Power to make regulations. The Executive Council may make regulations with regard to the regulations of the following matters- (a) specifying the terms and conditions on which patients may obtain medicine and surgical appliances at hospitals, or may be received in a hospital; (b) fixing the scale of charges to be paid by patients or classes of patients obtaining medicines or surgical appliances at or receiving attendance or treatment in any hospital; and (c) generally for carrying out the purposes of this Law.

4. Liability for charges payable in respect of masters and seamen. All moneys payable in pursuance of any regulation made under this Law in respect of a master, officer or seaman of a ship shall be recoverable from the master, or from the owner, consignee or charterer or the agent of such owner, consignee or charterer. Provided that any consignee or agent who shall have paid any such moneys may, out of any moneys received on account of such ship or belonging to the owner or character thereof, retain the amount of all moneys so paid with any reasonable expenses incurred.

5. Liability of employer for charges payable in respect of a servant. (1) The employer of a servant, who shall have received any medical or surgical attendance at, or shall be admitted as a patient in a hospital, even though not upon the request of the employer, shall be liable to pay any moneys payable in pursuance of any regulation under this Law in respect of such servant in the cases following: (a) if the servant shall have been injured in the course of his employment; or (b) if the employer is under a legal obligation to supply the servant with medicine or medical attendance; or (c) if the servant shall have been brought to the place at which he was employed by or at the expense of the employer. (2) An employer shall not be liable by virtue of the provisions of subsection (1) to pay for attendance upon or treatment of his servant in a hospital for any period exceeding three months.

6. Recovery of charges. (1) All moneys payable in pursuance of any regulation made under this Law shall be paid to the medical officer in charge of the hospital, and in case such moneys are not so paid the Accountant- General or any person appointed by the Accountant-General in that behalf may sue for and recover the same with full cost suit. (2) In any such proceedings a statement signed by a medical officer setting forth the amount claimed from the defendant shall be admitted in evidence without proof of the signature, and shall be prima facie evidence of the amount due. [Evidence of amount due]

7. Penalties for disposing of medicines obtained without payment. Any person who - (a) for valuable consideration disposes of any medicine or surgical appliance obtained by him from a hospital without payment; or (b) by any false representation obtains without payment or at reduced rate of payment any medicine, surgical appliance, attendance or treatment at a hospital, shall be liable to a fine of twenty thousand naira in addition to paying for the medicine, surgical appliance, attendance or treatment at the highest rate prescribed by or under any regulation under this Law.