Ekiti and Kogi state governments have directed hospitals and medical facilities in their respective states to receive victims of gunshots for immediate treatment in their facilities even without a police report.
The Commissioner for Health in Ekiti State, Dr Oyebanji Filani, said the directive followed the order of the Inspector General of Police on the treatment of gunshot victims and to enforce the provisions of the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act of 2017 without any hesitation.
Filani gave the directive in Ado Ekiti on Monday in a statement titled: ‘Approval of Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act 2017’.
He said, “Gunshot injuries are generally a medical emergency where every minute counts in the fight to preserve the life of the victim. The victim requires urgent medical attention to avoid permanent damage or death”.
The commissioner urged medical personnel, Good Samaritans, and sympathisers not to exercise fear of being implicated for coming to the aid of victims of gunshots.
Similarly, his Kogi State counterpart, Dr Zakari Usman, directed hospitals and other healthcare providers in the state to give prompt attention to gunshot victims in line with the need to save human lives.
The health commissioner, who stated this on Monday while speaking with newsmen in Lokoja, also cited the IG directive.
“All hospitals and other healthcare providers in the state should see victims of gunshots as people who need immediate medical attention to live safe lives”, he said.
He reiterated that not all gunshot victims were criminals, adding that even criminals have a right to medical care.
According to him, the practice of making it compulsory for the presentation of medical reports “will no longer be tolerated as many preventable deaths have occurred where hospitals insisted on such police reports”.
