A human rights organisation, Crime Victims Foundation of Nigeria (CRIVIFON), has called for the prosecution of hospitals and medical staff who reject gunshot victims in the country.
The Executive Director of CRIVIFON, Mrs Gloria Egbuji, said the action was against the provisions of the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshots Act, 2017.
While condemning in strong terms the recently reported cases of rejection of gunshot victims by hospitals, which eventually led to their deaths, Mrs Egbuji said the action had criminal and civil liability.
According to her, Section 2 of the law states that, “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.
“It also provides for a N500,000 fine or imprisonment for a term of five years or both for any one that fails to perform his duty under the law.”
She, therefore, called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Commissioners of Police to fish out all such offending or negligent hospitals and their medical staff for prosecution in order to reverse this ugly trend.
While acknowledging the concerns of hospitals and doctors who complained about police harassment, the foundation pointed out that such rogue policemen were acting against the law, while calling on the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN) and other health sector bodies to educate their members on the need to obey the compulsory treatment and care for victims of gunshot Act, 2017.
