Catholic Church criticises newly passed National Health Bill

The Catholic Church on Monday criticised the National Health Bill passed by the National Assembly, saying some sections were defective and inimical to human life.

The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, His eminence John Cardinal Onaiyekan, said this at a forum organised by the Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria (CCFN) on the bill in Abuja.

Onaiyekan advised, President Goodluck Jonathan, not to sign the bill into law until sections of the Act, particularly Sections 50, 51, 52 and others were revised.

“I think it is important for us to insist on putting right anything that will have negative effect on the lives of our people

“I’m saying this because they present the national health bill as if we have a particular interest in it but of course we don’t.

“In the case of the health bill, it is not in the interest of our people and we must speak against it.

“The sections of the bill as passed that touches on tissue and organ transplant among other delicate issues that is against the teachings of the Church.”

He advised the Federal Government and the National Assembly to be careful of policies and initiatives introduced by foreign governments and organisations.

Onaiyekan blamed foreign powers and some multinational organisations for the passage of the bill in a manner that could violate the teachings of the church.

The cardinal said ideas coming in from outside should be accepted if they would be useful but should be discarded if found to be inimical to the health and wellbeing of Nigerians.

“We are living in a world where those who call themselves advanced are busy developing their people and pushing wasteful ideas to us, this must be rejected.

“Just like we rejected same sex marriage, abortion and others, we must resist this glaring attempt to legalise sale of tissues and organs, including reproductive cells and tissues, in our country,” he said.

He decried the level of injustice around the world and wondered why the so called world powers were not concentrating their energies and resources on attaining a just and free world.

Onaiyekan said the church would not renege on its stand despite the criticisms and attacks from the west or multinational organisations.

The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, appealed to Nigerians to allow the president sign the bill into law as passed by the National Assembly.

Chukwu said that it was better to allow the law to stand to ensure smooth regulation of the health sector in Nigeria and amend the defective sections afterward than to delay its assent.

He said the Act as passed by the National Assembly would be beneficial to Nigerians, noting that the imperfections observed should not be the yardstick to abandon it.

The Executive Secretary of the CCFN, Rev. Fr. Evaristus Bassey, said the forum was organised by the church to raise awareness on the new health bill awaiting the president’s assent.

Bassey said the church was concerned that the controversial areas in the bill could turn out to be harmful to Nigerians if it was not revised before assent by Jonathan.

NAN reports that medical experts and other resource persons who attended the event spoke on other aspects of the bill that needs to be revised.