The Kogi Government on Monday directed all hospitals across the state to give prompt attention to gunshot victims in the state.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Zakari Usman, who gave the directive during an interaction with newsmen in Lokoja, said that the directive became imperative to save lives of innocent citizens.
“As a government, we have to change the narrative by directing our hospitals and other healthcare providers in the state to give prompt attention to gunshot victims in line with the need to save human lives.
“This directive is in line with the position of the Inspector General of police to deviate from the norms of the past when police reports were required before victims of gunshots could be treated at hospitals.
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“From today, we expect to see victims of gunshots as people who need immediate medical attention to live and not die because it’s not all gunshot victims that are criminals. But even criminals have rights to medical care, ” he said.
He added: “Kogi government is committed to ensuring constant upgrading of medical facilities in the state to meet global standard of providing seamless and proper medical attention to the people of the state.”
Usman said that the practice of making it compulsory for the presentation of medical reports before the treatment of gunshot victims would no longer be tolerated as many preventable deaths had occurred where hospitals insisted on such police reports.
The commissioner assured medical personnel and other Nigerians providing assistance to such victims of gunshot wounds not to be scared any longer in view of the assurances of the inspector general of police.