It Is Now A Crime To Leave Gunshot Victims Unattended To – Govt

The Osun State government has directed hospitals to treat gunshot victims without waiting for a police report.

The directive came after the Acting Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, ordered the compulsory treatment of gunshot victims without a police report.

Egbetokun said the directive was in line with the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act, 2017.

The Act, which came into effect on the eve of 2018, mandates all health facilities to accept victims of gunshot for immediate treatment without a police report.

Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER on the directive, the state Commissioner for Health, Barr Jola Akintola, said it is criminal for any individual to see a victim of gunshot and refused to attend to the person. 

Akintola called on hospitals and residents of the state to prioritise prompt treatment of gunshot victims.

He said, “We have been sensitising our people. The Inspector General of Police have not just made the law. The law has been in existence since 2017 and ignorance of law is not an excuse. 

“We have begun the move not only at the state hospitals and facilities but other parts of the state. It is even criminal for any individual to see a victim of gunshot and not attend to the person.

“The law said you must look for a way of rescuing the victim, take him to the nearest hospital, inform the police within two hours of getting to the hospital while the hospital contact the victim’s family within 24 hours after the victim gets to them.”