The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has recently taken a crucial decision to ensure unconditional access to emergency medical care for gunshot victims, both civilian and police. The directive, issued by the Coordinator of Health and Social Welfare, Minister, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, is aimed at ending the rejection of gunshot victims by public and private health facilities across the country, in response to complaints received and lives lost as a result of such practices.
In the current context where gunshot incidents are increasingly common, it is imperative that victims of such tragedies receive emergency medical care to increase their chances of survival. The prompt and empathetic response of health professionals is crucial in such situations, and the new law stipulates that every hospital in Nigeria, whether public or private, is required to provide immediate and adequate treatment to gunshot victims, with or without the requirement of police clearance. Furthermore, it is required that all persons, including security personnel, render immediate assistance to any person injured by gunshot and ensure that they are transported to the nearest health facility for immediate treatment.
This measure is aimed at ensuring that life is given priority over any other administrative or bureaucratic consideration and that no life is lost due to delay or denial of medical treatment. The Coordinator of Health and Minister of Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, therefore calls on all health practitioners to comply with this national law by providing prompt and appropriate care to gunshot victims, in order to prevent unnecessary loss of life.
It is clear that more measures need to be taken to ensure compliance with this law by all health facilities in Nigeria. Concrete strategies need to be implemented to ensure that health professionals are fully informed of their obligations and that gunshot victims receive the necessary life-saving treatment.
In conclusion, this initiative by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is a significant step towards the humanization of health services in Nigeria, ensuring that every person, regardless of the circumstances of their injury, receives the much-needed emergency medical care. This underscores the importance of compassion, efficiency and life-first healthcare, and we hope that this move will usher in a new era of responsiveness and empathy in the country’s medical services.