Stop Asking For Police Report Before Saving Lives, Health Minister Tells Hospitals

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, has charged hospitals in the country to stop demanding for police report at the first instance, saying that saving lives should be priotised above any other thing.

The Minister while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, lamented the situation where hospitals demanded police reports from gunshot and accident victims before the commencement of treatment, adding that the Federal Government has issued a directive to hospitals to always save lives first before making any other demands.

He urged states across the nation to follow up with the Federal Government’s directive in their various hospitals while also reiterating that private hospitals should also have the obligation to follow the same directive, reminding them that as health practitioners, saving lives comes first everywhere.

He said, “Recently there have been concerns about patients who show up at the emergency facilities and police reports being asked about gunshots or accidents. That’s really unfortunate, but in all federal teaching hospitals, for instance, I was in Maiduguri at the weekend, life has to be saved first.

“Life first and we have reemphasised that. All our hospitals I believe are doing that. No person should come with an emergency, or life-threatening challenge and be made to lose their life while awaiting police report.

“Saving lives comes first and that is the direction we have given; that is what we would pursue and we hope that all hospitals including private hospitals will have this mindset that in health, it’s save lives first.”