…Say Delay Over Police Reports Illegal
… Prescribe jail, Fine For Negligent Hospitals
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) have cautioned hospitals across the country against refusing to treat gunshot victims over the absence of police reports, insisting such acts are illegal and unethical.
The two professional bodies made the call in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, following growing reports of patients dying from delays in emergency treatment due to hospitals demanding police documentation.
The organisations reminded health workers that the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Wounds Act of 2017 mandates all hospitals—public or private—to provide immediate medical care to gunshot victims without waiting for clearance from law enforcement agencies.
Section 7 of the Act prescribes a five-year jail term or a ₦500,000 fine—or both—for anyone or institution whose negligence leads to the death of a gunshot victim.
Speaking on the matter, Dr. Mohammad Suleiman, National President of NARD, described the continued refusal of some hospitals to treat victims as “unacceptable and criminal,” stressing that doctors are duty-bound to save lives first.
“Where I practice in Katsina, we treat first. The police take up the process afterwards. Our duty as doctors is to save lives, not to judge,” Suleiman said.
He blamed some incidents on ignorance of the law among health workers, noting that NARD had intensified efforts to educate its members through continuous medical education programmes on legal issues affecting clinical practice.
Suleiman urged Nigerians to report hospitals or medical practitioners who deny treatment to law enforcement or the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), warning that offenders risk severe disciplinary sanctions.
“Any doctor who turns away a critically injured patient for monetary reasons or administrative excuses must be held accountable. Rejecting emergency patients is both unethical and punishable under the law,” he added.
The NARD President commended the Federal Ministry of Health for improving emergency response systems but emphasised that enforcement remains weak at the hospital level.
Similarly, Registrar of the NMCN, Mr. Ndagi Alhassan, faulted hospital policies that compel nurses to delay treatment until documentation is completed.
“In some hospitals, policy demands paperwork before care. But nurses must prioritise life over bureaucracy. Once the patient is stabilised, documentation can follow,” he stated.
Alhassan reminded nurses that the federal directive on emergency care takes precedence over internal rules, saying: “The ethical, professional, and lawful approach in any life-threatening situation is to save the patient first.”
Both NARD and NMCN reaffirmed their commitment to public sensitisation and professional discipline to curb the menace of hospitals rejecting gunshot victims—a practice they say continues to cost innocent lives nationwide.
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