Police Indict Hospital in Death of Robbery Victim, Insist on Treatment of Gunshot Wounds

Matilda Omonaiye/

The management of Reddignton Hospital in Lagos may have landed in trouble for allegedly refusing to attend to a gunshot victim, who later died from his injuries.

Police today condemned the action of the hospital’s management, which contravened the Compulsory Treatment and Care of Victims of Gunshot Act, 2017.

Police authorities also described the action of the hospital as “cruel, unlawful and inexcusable”.

A statement by the Lagos State Police Command said the victim, Adebayo Akinwunmi, was shot by armed robbers at his residence in Ofafa area of Ogun State, on May 14 and was rushed to a branch of Reddington Hospital, located at 39 Isaac John, GRA, Ikeja. The victim was however refused treatment by the hospital because he did come with a police report.

The statement, entitled: “Doctors who Reject Gunshot Victims are Criminally Liable”, warned that the command would “henceforth arrest and diligently prosecute any medical practitioner who rejects a gunshot victim on the ground of no police report”.

The statement reads: “The attention of the Nigeria Police, Lagos State Command, has been drawn to a newspaper publication on Monday, May 14, 2018, captioned, “hospital rejects victim over bullet injuries”.
“The story goes that one Engr. Adebayo Akinwunmi, a senior engineer with an Information and Communications Technology company, was shot and wounded by armed robbers in his house at Ofada-Mokoloki, Ogun State and was brought to Reddington hospital, Ikeja for treatment only to be refused admission on the unlawful and inexcusable grounds that there was no police report.

“The Command considers the action of the hospital as cruel; perhaps, an indication that the hospital’s management may be ignorant of the ‘Compulsory Treatment and Care of Victims of Gunshot Act, 2017’.

“In the light of this development, the Command wishes to inform all medical practitioners in Lagos state, that the Act demands that 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 wounds.

“The Act, however, requires the hospital treating such a patient to report the fact to the nearest police station within two hours of commencement of treatment.

“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Mr. Imohimi Edgal, is saddened by the allegation against the Reddington Hospital and has directed all Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers in Lagos State to, henceforth, arrest and diligently prosecute any medical practitioner who rejects a gunshot victim on the ground of no police report.

“The CP wants doctors to note that the Act recommends a five-year-jail term for any person, hospital or authority who stands by or omits to do his bit, which results in the unnecessary death of any person with bullet wounds.”

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