Kogi State House of Assembly has begun debate on a bill for a law to provide compulsory treatment and care for victims of accident and gunshot injury and other matters connected.
Leading the debate on the bill, the member representing Dekina/Biraidu constituency, Hon Ochidi Shehu Usman, said the bill was borne out of his concern over the nonchalant attitude of healthcare providers to the victims of accident and gunshots in the society.
Citing 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 into law, will reduce the number of casualties as a result of accidents and gunshots.
The bill seeks to compel everyone concerned 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 institutions for medical attention, hence resulting to loss 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 order to save life”.
According to him, the bill seeks to ensure that a victim of accident or gunshot shall be received for immediate and adequate treatment by any hospital in Kogi State with or without initial monetary deposit.
The lawmaker representing Ibaji constituency, Hon Comfort Ojoma, recalled a situation where she had to stand as a surety for victims of gunshots and road accidents before they were treated at a hospital.
She said the current situation in the country requires medical professionals to attend to medical emergencies before seeking police report or payment for treatment.
