Lagos State Government Warns Hospitals To Stop Rejecting Gunshot Victims

The Lagos State Government has appealed to all health care facilities, both private and public health facilities operating within the state to stop rejecting gunshot victims and other trauma patients on the excuse of requesting a police report or provision of evidence of the availability of funds before commencing treatment.

Prof Akin Abayomi, the commissioner of health, who issued this statement on Sunday 29^th while reacting to investigating by the health ministry shows that some health facilities are still in the habit of rejecting or delaying care to trauma patients which have led to some avoidable loss of lives, noting that more often than not such victims are not in the position to discuss the incidence or finance and are brought in by good Samaritans.

So, he urged health centres, clinics, and hospitals to offer immediate comprehensive care to victims of gunshot and other trauma patients without being a hindrance to the Federal Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act, 2017

“These
deaths would have been avoided if health care practitioners were conversant
with the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act, 2017 which
stipulates that victims of gunshot and traumatic accidents should receive
immediate treatment when presenting to healthcare facilities”, the Commissioner
reveals.

The commissioner of health explained further that the Compulsory Treatment and Care fo Victims of Gunshot Act provides for obligatory treatment and care for victims of gunshot noting that the law stipulates that a person with a gunshot wound shall be received for adequate and immediate treatment by any hospital in Nigeria.

“With this
Act, it has become legally wrong for healthcare providers to delay attending to
victims of gunshots and any other trauma under any circumstances. It is in this
wise that I want to make it clear that the Lagos State Government will not
hesitate to explore this law and to apply suitable sanctions against facilities
that contravene the principle and body of the act,” Abayomi noted

However, he noted that the primary concern of the Act focuses on access to immediate medical care, Prof Abayomi stresses that saving human life should be the first concern for any healthcare provider irrespective of circumstances that led to the incident.