VANGUARD
Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, representing Cross River South, on Thursday, 5th October, moved a motion in the Senate on the persistent denial of treatment and care of victims of gunshot wounds and other emergencies, emphasizing the urgent need to ensure compliance with the provisions of the compulsory treatment and care under the Victims of Gunshots Act, 2017.
The senator was incensed due to the tragic death of Ms Greatness Olorunfemi, a community developer and member of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Network, on account of the alleged refusal of a Hospital in Abuja to accept and treat her after she was attacked and pushed out of a fast-moving vehicle by armed robbers on Tuesday, 26th September 2023.
Moving to forestall future occurrences of the situation, Senator Ekpenyong sponsored a motion that emphasized the enactment of the National Health Act, 2014, and particularly the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act, 2017, which gives victims of gunshots and other emergencies the right to treatment.
He quoted the law, stating that “any person or authority, including any police officer or other security agents or hospital, who stands by or omits to do their bit which results in the unnecessary death of any person with bullet wounds commits an offence and shall on conviction be liable to 5 years imprisonment or a fine of N50,000 or both. He said, “Under the 10th Senate, this provision will be reviewed to provide for stiffer penalties.”
According to him, there is a need to uphold the provisions of sections 14(2) (b], 33, and 34 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Altered) and to ensure strict compliance with the provisions of the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act, 2017 to stop further unnecessary loss of precious lives due to the persistent refusal of hospitals to admit, treat, and care for victims of pensions and other emergencies.
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