LEGAL ANGLE

COMPULSORY TREATMENT FOR GUN SHOT VICTIMS (CASE STUDY)

A medical doctor was shot dead on the 31st of Dec.2022 by suspected relatives of a deceased gunshot victim after the doctor refused to treat the deceased unless they produced a Police Report.

The Nigerian Medical Association NMA issued a protest letter concerning the kiIIing of their colleague for his refusal to treat gunshot victim.

It is embarrassing and shameful that an Association which is supposedly made up of academic professionals like NMA is rather full of ignorants and grossly incompetent medical experts.

By provisions of Sections 1- 2 of the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshots Act, 2017:

1. "...every hospital in Nigeria weather public or private shall accept or receive, for immediate and adequate trcatment with or without POLICE CLEERENCE, any person with a gunshot wound."

2. "a person with a gunshot wound shall be received for immediate and adequate treatment by any hospital in Nigeria with or without monetary deposit...It is mandatory for every hospital to accept and treat every gunshot victim."

This means that the law mandated Medical Doctors and hospitals to treat a gunshot victim with or without a Police Report, and this law has been in existence since 2017 that is more than 5 years ago, yet we still have Doctors and their Association of ignorants demanding Police Report as a requirement before they can treat a victim of gunshot.