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The Federal Government has made it a compulsion for public and private healthcare facilities nationwide to accord victims of gunshots necessary treatment without demanding any Police clearance.
The directive was issued by The Coordinating Minister of Health And Social Welfare Minister, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate.
This is according to a statement posted on its official X by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and signed by the Director of Information, Patricia Deworitshe, on Saturday, December 7, 2024.
Titled 'Non-Compliance of Medical Facilities On The Gunshot Act 2017,’ the statement noted that the ministry had received complaints on the rejection of gunshot victims by hospitals nationwide, which had resulted in loss of lives.
“In recent times, society has witnessed a rise in the loss of lives as a result of the refusal of some health facilities to attend to gunshot victims of chance who do not present police reports,” it partly read.
FG says gunshot victims require emergency care
Deworitshe explained that gunshot victims come under emergencies that require urgent medical attention to save the lives of the patients or victims.
“It has come to the knowledge of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, of the slow or non-compliance by most medical facilities to provide for the compulsory treatment and care for victims of gunshots, and related matters.
“The Act further goes further to stipulate that; every hospital in Nigeria whether private shall accept or receive immediate and adequate treatment with or without police clearance.
“Every person including security agents shall render every possible assistance to any person with gunshot wounds and ensure that the person is taken to the nearest hospital for immediate treatment,” she stated.
The ministry expressed concerns over the spate of gunshot incidences and the refusal of some health facilities to administer care for victims without police reports.
“The Coordinating Minister of Health And Social Welfare Minister, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, therefore calls on all medical practitioners to comply with this national law by providing prompt treatment and care for these victims to prevent death,” it said
It added that strategies are in the works to ensure compliance with the Act by Nigerian healthcare facilities.
The ministry urged the Nigerian Police to promptly comply with and enforce the provisions of the compulsory treatment and care of gunshot victims as stipulated in the Act 2017, as well as reassure the health facilities that treatment of gunshot victims is not illegal.