Osun State Government has directed hospitals and medical facilities in the state to henceforth treat gunshot victims, even without a police report.
It gave the directive on the heels of the order by the Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun canceling the longstanding order which made presentation of a police report compulsory before gunshot victims could be treated by government or private hospitals and any other medical facilities across the country.
Domesticating Egbetokun’s order, Osun State’s Commissioner for Health, Mr Jola Akintola, told reporters in his office in Osogbo, the state capital, that the directive aligns with the order issued by the Inspector General of Police.
According to him, the new order regarding the treatment of gunshot victims aims to enforce the provisions of the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act of 2017, without any delay.
He explained that gunshot injuries are medical emergencies where every moment is crucial and as such, efforts must be made to save the victim’s life.
The commissioner said immediate medical attention is required as an essential to prevent permanent damage or fatality to the injured victims.
He encouraged medical personnel, good samaritans, and sympathizers not to fear any implication for providing assistance to gunshot victims, stressing that all hospitals and health-care providers in the state should treat gunshot victims promptly, as their lives are at stake.
He asserted that not all gunshot victims are criminals, just as he clarified that even individuals involved in criminal activities have the right to receive medical care.
Akintola pointedly emphasized that the previous practice of requiring a police report for treatment will no longer be tolerated.
He lamented that the old order mandating presentation of a police report before treatment of gunshot victims had resulted in preventable deaths due to hospitals insisting on such documentation.
