Senate yesterday took the second reading (debate of the general principles) of the bill seeking compulsory treatment of victims of gunshots and referred it to its committee on health for further legislative action.
But in debating the bill’s general principles, senators lamented the declining standard of the nation’s medical practice.
They also criticized the Nigeria Police Force for treating harshly victims of gunshots and those who volunteer to take them to the hospital for medical treatment.
Sponsor of the Bill for an Act to Make Provisions for the Compulsory Treatment and Care for the Victims of Gunshots and other Matters Connected Therewith, Senator Osita Izunaso (PDP, Imo West), said when passed into law, it would render production of police reports before treatment of gunshots unconstitutional and illegal.
The bill specifically prescribes a six-month jail or a fine of N100,000 for any doctor or medical worker who is found guilty of refusing to treat gunshot victims unless a police report is produced.
Section 3(i) of the bill reads: “No person with gunshot wound shall be refused immediate and adequate treatment by any hospital in Nigeria whether or not initial monetary deposit is paid.
Subsection (ii) states: “No person with a bullet wound shall be subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment or torture by any person or authority including the police or other security agencies.”
He cited the case of a young man from his constituency resident in the United States of America who was shot by robbers in Lagos and was rushed to a hospital where the doctor on duty who could have saved his life insisted on police report before he could commence treatment.
He also alluded to the recent incident involving an Assistant News Editor of The Guardian Newspapers, Mr. Bayo Ohu, who was rushed to one of the hospitals in Lagos after he was shot by gunmen but was rejected due to lack of police report.
Izunaso said: “The above graphic sombre accounts replete daily in nooks and crannies of the country especially among the poor masses who may not be given self recognition.
“At this juncture, we may ask the question: what has police report got to do with treatment of victim of gunshots? Incidence of armed robbery is high in the country and on several occasions armed robbers shot their victims indiscriminately to get what they want.”
Senators, who contributed to the debates on the bill - Senator George Sekibo (PDP, Rivers), Effiong Bob, (PDP, Akwa Ibom), Anthony Manzo (PDP, Taraba), Dahiru Kuta (PDP, Niger) and Joseph Akergerger (PDP, Benue) - condemned the attitude of the police towards victims of gunshots and volunteers who lend them helping hand.
The bill prescribes that volunteers who until now have shied away from helping victims of gunshot wounds on account of police trouble, should have some measure of protection.
Section 10 of the bill states that volunteers or helpers of victims shall “be treated with respect and shall not be subjected to unnecessary and embarrassing interrogation in their genuine attempts to save life”.
Besides, the senators called on the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to impose stiff sanctions on any erring medical officer who fails to treat such victims.
Speaking on the bill, President of the Senate David Mark lamented that the practice of medicine had declined to an all time low compared to when Senator Jibril Aminu was Minister of Health.
He also observed that when the bill is subjected to a public hearing, medical doctors are likely to kick against the prescribed sanctions of six-month jail term or N100,000 fine.

That will really be fine if passed into law and i hope the doctors will not abuse it.

I dont think the issue is sanctioning Doctors for not treating gunshot victims.

The real issue is Protection of these medical practicioners from Illegal Summary and Arbitrary harrasment by security forces just because they treat "suspected armed robbers".

I dont know of any Doctor in Nigeria that will refuse to treat a patient unless his hospital lacks the capacity