Stop rejecting gunshot victims, Lagos warns hospitals

Lagos State Government on Sunday appealed to health care providers, including public and private health facilities operating in the state, to stop rejecting gunshot victims and other trauma patients for not providing police report or provide evidence of funds before commencing treatment.

Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, in a statement yesterday while reacting to findings by the Ministry of Health that some health facilities in the state had formed the habit of rejecting or delaying care to trauma victims, resulting often in avoidable loss of lives.

He noted that several times such patients were not in a position to discuss the incident or finance and were often brought in by good Samaritans.

He urged hospitals, health centres and clinics to offer immediate comprehensive care to gunshot victims and other trauma patients without let or hindrance in line with the Federal Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act 2017.

“These deaths would have been avoided if health care providers 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 presented to healthcare facilities.”

He noted that health care providers, according to their professional oaths, should first save lives by offering immediate attention to any patient requiring urgent critical and lifesaving supportive care before any other considerations.

– The Nation