Kogi state house of Assembly has presented a bill for a law to provide compulsory treatment and care for victims of accident and gunshot injury and other matters connected.
While leading a debate on the bill,, the member representing Dekina/Biraidu Constituency in Kogi state house of Assembly, Ochidi Shehu Usman said that the bill was born out of his concern to the nonchalant attitude of healthcare providers to the victims of Accident and gunshots in the society.
Sighting the news of a Lagos based victim who was pushed down from a moving vehicle by suspected criminals but was not attended to by the health facility till she bled to death, Hon. Usman explained that the bill, if passed to law will reduce the number of casualties as a result of accidents and gunshots.
Enforcing every person including security agents to attend to accident victims and victims of gunshots without requesting for money or Police report to commence treatment and give adequate attention to the victims before the arrival of their relatives.
He said “It has been observed with utmost concern that in recent time accident or gunshot victims are not urgently attended to by the Health care institutions for medical attention, hence resulting to lost of lives because of the delay in accepting the victims or in some cases total refusal”.
“I felt the need for this legal instrument put in place for mandatory enforce treatment and care of the victims of accident and gunshot injury by our Health Care providers, pending police report and the arrival of the victim’s relations in other to save life”.
According to him, the Bill seeks for the Enforcement of every person, including security agents to render every possible assistance to any victims of accident and ensuring that the victim is taken to the nearest hospital for immediate treatment with or without police report adding that a victim of accident or gunshot wounds shall be received for immediate and adequate treatment by any hospital in Kogi State with or without initial monetary deposit.
Hon. Usman added that a victim of accident or gunshot wound shall not be subjected to inhuman treatment or torture by any person or authority including the Police or other Security Agencies.
He added that as a way of ensuring that criminals don’t hide under the development to carryout evil acts, Healthcare provider that accepts any person with gunshot wounds shall report that fact to the nearest Police Station within two hours of commencement of treatment.
While giving a nod to the bill, the lawmaking representing Ibaji Constituency, Hon. Comfort Ojoma explained that she was in a situation where she had to stand as a surety for victims of Gunshots and road accidents before they could get treated at the hospital. She maintained that the current situation in the country requires that the medical professionals should attend to medical emergencies before asking for questions like police report or payment for treatment.