Know The Law: Gunsh0t v!ctims entitled to prompt treatment without police report

Know The Law: Gunshot victims entitled to prompt treatment without police report

In December 2017, then President Muhammadu Buhari signed an important legislation for the compulsory medical treatment of victims of gunshot injuries without police report or clearance.

The legislation titled: ‘Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshots Act, 2017’, was initiated to prevent the deaths of gunshot victims.

Before the legislation, hospitals demanded police reports as a requirement for treating affected persons.

The conversation on the compulsory treatment legislation made a return to Nigeria’s social media space after Somtochukwu Christelle Maduagwu, a news anchor and producer with Arise Television, and a security guard, died during an armed robbery incident in Abuja.

It was alleged that a hospital demanded identification cards before treating the victims.

The 2017 legislation provides that anyone with gunshot wounds is entitled to admission in a hospital — whether public or private.

The Act stipulates that security operatives shall promptly assist a victim of gunshot wounds to the nearest hospital.

Under the legislation, hospitals are expected to report persons with gunshot wounds to the police within two hours of commencement of medical treatment.

Credit: X | The Cable