Health Minister Decries Non-Compliance With Gunshot Victims’ Care Act

In a significant address on Tuesday, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, raised an alarm over the widespread disregard for the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act of 2017 across numerous medical facilities.

Despite the clear mandates of the act, which was enthusiastically signed into law by former President Muhammadu Buhari, many healthcare providers continue to falter in their legal and moral obligations towards gunshot victims.

The Act, designed to foster a more compassionate healthcare response, explicitly requires all Nigerian hospitals, regardless of their public or private status, to provide immediate and adequate care to victims of gunshot wounds without the necessity of police clearance.

It also calls upon every individual, including security agents, to assist anyone with gunshot injuries by ensuring they receive prompt medical attention at the nearest facility.

Prof. Pate emphasized the critical nature of gunshot wounds as medical emergencies that demand swift action to save lives.

His concerns are echoed in a statement from the Director of Information at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Patricia Deworitshe, highlighting the tragic increase in fatalities due to some health facilities’ refusal to treat gunshot victims and those harmed in “one-chance” incidents without a police report.

The statement reads, “Gunshot victims come under medical emergencies that require urgent attention to save the life of the patient or victim. 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 going contrary to the Gunshot Act 2017 which mandates all medical facilities to provide for the compulsory treatment and care for victims of gunshots; and related matters.

“In line with this mandate, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is concerned about the spate of gunshot incidences and the refusal of some of the health facilities to administer treatment and care for the victim or patient without a police report.

“The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. 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 while, strategies are being put in place by the Ministry to ensure compliance to the Act by Nigerian healthcare facilities.”

The Minister also urged the Police to comply with and enforce the provisions of the Act with promptness.

He reassured health facilities in the country that treatment of gunshot victims is not illegal.