NASS Holds Public Hearing On TB Rights Bill As Stakeholders Urge Stronger Rights Protection

The House of Representatives Committee on Infectious Diseases has held a public hearing in Abuja, on key bills aimed at strengthening the nation’s response to infectious diseases, including the proposed Tuberculosis Rights Bill.

The public hearing, chaired by Hon Mark Esset, who represented the chairman of the House Committee on Infectious Diseases, Hon. Amobi Godwin Ogah, provided an opportunity for legislators, government institutions, civil society organisations, health experts, TB survivors, affected communities, development partners, and members of the public to make submissions on the bill before the committee.

The bills considered at the hearing included the bill for an Act to make provision for the prevention of Tuberculosis-based discrimination and the protection of the fundamental human rights and dignity of people living with and affected by Tuberculosis.

In his welcome address, the chairman noted that the public hearing was convened to allow stakeholders and the public to express their views on the merits and gaps in the proposed legislation.

He described the TB Bill as an important intervention aimed at giving Nigerians living with and affected by TB a sense of belonging by protecting their fundamental human rights and preventing discrimination and stigmatisation.

The committee chairman further observed that Nigeria has long had a legal gap in the protection of the rights and dignity of persons affected by TB which he said has contributed to low testing, poor diagnosis and weak protection for affected persons.

He assured stakeholders that the committee was willing to work with them to resolve grey areas in the Bill and produce legislation that would stand the test of time.

Stakeholders at the hearing welcomed the TB Bill as a historic opportunity to move Nigeria’s TB response beyond a purely medical approach toward a people-centred, rights-based, and community-driven framework.

It was noted that TB-related stigma and discrimination continue to prevent early diagnosis, treatment adherence, workplace retention, school participation, family support, and community reintegration.

Key government ministries supported the passage of the bill, while calling for targeted amendments to make it more comprehensive and implementable.

The memorandum submitted on behalf of the ministry and NTBLCP noted that stigma is not a peripheral social issue but a driver of late presentation, poor treatment outcomes, poverty, social exclusion, and continued transmission.

A key recommendation was that the Bill should be expanded from a TB-only framework to an integrated protection law for persons affected by Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer.

The programme noted that all three diseases fall within the Ministry of Health mandate and are associated with stigma, exclusion, disability and discrimination.

Lawyers Alert, a human rights organisation working at the intersection of rights and health, also made a strong case for the Bill to be strengthened as a human rights instrument.

The organisation commended the National Assembly and the sponsors of the Bill for recognising that TB is not only a public health concern but also a human rights issue.

It noted that stigma, forced disclosure, denial of work, school exclusion, refusal of health services, and loss of livelihood discourage early diagnosis and completion of treatment.

In its memorandum, Lawyers Alert urged the Committee to ensure that the Bill balances human rights, public health, and treatment adherence.

It is recommended that any restriction of liberty, including involuntary isolation or hospitalisation, must be exceptional, evidence-based, medically justified, time-bound, and subject to court authorisation.

Lawyers Alert stressed that isolation should never be used for punishment, discrimination, immigration control, homelessness management, or institutional convenience, and should never take place in a prison, police cell or other punitive setting.

Lawyers Alert further called for stronger enforcement and accountability mechanisms.

Stakeholders like the TB Network and Debriche Health Development Center DHDC also highlighted the need for the Bill to protect vulnerable and marginalised groups and ensure community-led monitoring.