Reps suggest six-month jail for buildings, vehicles lacking ‎First Aid kits

Lukman Amusa

A bill seeking to make First Aid kit compulsory in vehicles and public buildings passed the second reading at the House of Representatives on Thursday.

The bill, which was laid before the House on Thursday, proposed a jail term of six months or a fine of N10,000 for non-compliance.

Sponsor of the bill, Mr. Kehinde Agboola (PDP, Ekiti), while leading the debate on the bill, explained that the bill sought to make it compulsory for owners of commercial vehicles and public buildings to provide First Aid kits in their vehicles and buildings.

The lawmaker pointed out that the jail term and fine were proposed to ensure effectiveness of the proposed law.

He said, “To ensure the effectiveness of this bill when passed into an Act, provisions have been made for the punishment of owners of vehicles and public buildings who refuse or fail to provide first aid kits in their vehicles and buildings.

“In section 9, this offence is punishable with a six months imprisonment or a fine of N10,000. In section 10, the owner of a building is liable to four months imprisonment or a fine of N10,000 if he fails to provide first aid kits in his building.

“If this bill is passed, it would enable owners of buildings like schools or hotels to be punished if they fail to provide first aid kits as many people have died in hotel rooms in the past due to lack of first aid treatment.”

Agboola stated that the major objective of the bill is to ensure a substantial reduction in the deaths that occur when there are accidents or sudden sickness.

The lawmaker said, “Sometimes when there is an accident, some people die due to lack of first aid treatment to stop the bleeding from injuries sustained before they are rushed to the hospital. This happens because owners of commercial vehicles do not provide first aid kits in their vehicles.

“In many cases, individuals have slumped in their offices and died while being conveyed to the hospital for treatment because no first aid treatment was given to resuscitate them. This bill is being proposed to correct the situation by ensuring that first aid kits are provided compulsorily in commercial vehicles and public buildings.”

According to him, the overriding aim of medical care, which includes first aid, is to save lives and minimise deaths.

“In view of the important benefits that would be derived in this bill, I urge honourable colleagues to allow it to be read the second time,” Agboola said.