The Senate has summoned the Inspector-General of Police, acting IGP Kayode Egbetokun; the Minister of Health, Muhammad Ali Pate, and his counterpart in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over the death of Ms Greatness Olorunfemi at the Maitama General Hospital, Abuja.
Recall that the late Greatness Olorunfemi, who was a victim of ‘one chance’ traffic robbers in Abuja, had died last week from her injuries after she was allegedly rejected by the Maitama hospital.
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But, disturbed by the sad development, the Senate through a motion sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (APC, Cross River South), mandated its Standing Committees on Health and Police to carry out a thorough investigation on Olorunfemi’s death and report back in two weeks time.
It specifically mandated the Joint Committee to summon the Inspector-General of Police, the FCT Minister and his counterpart in the Heath Ministry, to appear before it, for explanations on why Olorunfemi bled to death without being attended to by the Abuja hospital in violation of an extant law – Gunshots Act, 2017.
The red chamber also mandated the Committees on Health, Police Affairs, and Legislative Compliance to ensure compliance with its resolutions.
Senator Ekpenyong had while presenting the motion at plenary on Thursday quoted the Gunshots Act 2017, which states that, “As from the commencement of this Act, every hospital in Nigeria whether public or private, shall accept or receive for immediate and adequate treatment with or without Police clearance, any person with a gunshot wound.”
He also quoted Section 3 of the Act, which states that, “No gunshot victim shall be refused immediate and adequate treatment whether or not an initial monetary deposit has been paid.”
He added that the Senate needed to amend Section 13 of the Act for stiffer penalty against violators of the Act, saying the N50,000.00 fine or five years imprisonment provided for, were nothing to human lives being wasted.
In his remarks after the general debate on the motion and adoption of resolutions, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, said the time has come to make the Police and health personnel in the country to adhere to provisions of the Gunshots Act 2017.
“The death of Greatness Olorunfemi was avoidable if provisions of the extant law have been adhered to.
“Police and health care providers in the country need to save Nigerians from such avoidable deaths,” Akpabio stated.
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