The Federal Government has mandated all public and private healthcare facilities across Nigeria to provide immediate treatment to gunshot victims without requiring police clearance.
This directive, issued by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, was made public on Saturday via a statement on its official X handle.
The statement, titled Non-Compliance of Medical Facilities on the Gunshot Act 2017, was signed by the ministry’s Director of Information, Patricia Deworitshe.
The ministry expressed concerns over reports of hospitals rejecting gunshot victims due to the absence of police reports, leading to preventable deaths.
The directive follows instructions from the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, who emphasized the importance of adherence to the Gunshot Act 2017.
“In recent times, society has witnessed a rise in the loss of lives as a result of refusal by some health facilities to attend to gunshot victims who do not present police reports,” the statement read.
The Gunshot Act 2017 mandates all hospitals, whether public or private, to provide immediate and adequate treatment to gunshot victims without any precondition for police clearance.
It also obligates every individual, including security agents, to ensure victims are promptly taken to the nearest hospital for care.
The ministry noted that gunshot wounds fall under medical emergencies requiring urgent attention to save lives, irrespective of the circumstances surrounding the injury.
Professor Pate urged healthcare providers nationwide to comply with the law, stressing that their priority should be to prevent avoidable deaths.
“The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is putting strategies in place to ensure compliance with this law by all Nigerian healthcare facilities,” the statement added.
Additionally, the ministry called on the Nigerian Police to enforce the Act’s provisions and reassure hospitals that treating gunshot victims is lawful and essential.
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