NARD and NMCN urge Nigerian hospitals to ensure immediate Gunshot Victims Treatment without police reports, stressing that saving lives must come before paperwork.
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) have strongly reaffirmed that hospitals must offer immediate Gunshot Victims Treatment without demanding police reports or delaying care.
Both organisations emphasized that saving lives must always come before administrative or legal procedures.
Their warning follows renewed concerns about reports of hospitals rejecting emergency gunshot victims due to a lack of police documentation.
In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, the two professional bodies reminded medical workers of their legal and ethical duty to treat first before any formalities.
The Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Wounds Act, enacted in 2017, makes it a legal obligation for all hospitals—public or private—to attend to victims of gunfire without delay.
The Act clearly prohibits the refusal of emergency care based on the absence of police clearance.
According to Section Seven of the law, anyone whose actions or inactions cause the avoidable death of a gunshot victim faces up to five years imprisonment, a ₦500,000 fine, or both.
This provision aims to protect victims’ right to Emergency Medical Care and remove unnecessary barriers to life-saving intervention.
In October 2023, the Nigeria Police Force issued a circular instructing all officers nationwide to support hospitals in complying with the Act.
The directive warned that no police officer or institution should hinder hospitals providing immediate Gunshot Victims Treatment or intimidate doctors and nurses performing their lawful duties.
Speaking on the issue, Dr. Mohammad Suleiman, National President of NARD, condemned the continued refusal of treatment to gunshot victims as both “unacceptable and unlawful.”
He described such behaviour as a direct violation of the doctor’s oath to preserve life above all else.
“Where I practice in Katsina, we treat patients first—the police come in later. Our duty as doctors is to save lives, not to judge,” Suleiman stated.
He added that NARD regularly educates its members through Continuing Medical Education (CME) programmes to ensure doctors are aware of legal expectations surrounding Gunshot Victims Treatment and other emergency procedures.
Suleiman urged the public to report hospitals that deny emergency care, stressing that such conduct is criminal and unethical.
“Any doctor who turns away a critical patient over police paperwork or financial issues should be reported and disciplined,” he said.
He called for stricter enforcement by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), urging that erring doctors be referred to its disciplinary tribunal.
According to him, the tribunal wields the authority of a Federal High Court to sanction medical professionals found guilty of misconduct.
“Our training is built on saving lives, not chasing profits,” Suleiman said.
“Any doctor who prioritises money or procedure over a dying patient must be held accountable.”
The NARD president also applauded the Federal Ministry of Health for its commitment to improving Nigeria’s emergency care response, particularly through policies that reinforce the protection of patients’ rights and support rapid hospital intervention during crises.
In a similar statement, Mr. Ndagi Alhassan, Registrar of the NMCN, noted that some nurses still act based on outdated or restrictive hospital policies that contradict the federal directive on emergency treatment. He stressed that such rules must never override the national law that places human life above paperwork.
“In some hospitals, there’s an internal rule requiring documentation before treatment begins, but nurses must remember that saving life comes first. With the federal directive, stabilizing the patient must be the top priority,” Alhassan explained.
He urged nurses to attend to victims immediately, particularly in life-threatening cases, before completing any documentation. “That’s the ethical, professional, and lawful way to handle emergency cases,” he added.
Alhassan also called on hospital administrators to review internal guidelines and ensure full compliance with federal laws. He said the NMCN would continue sensitizing nurses on their obligations to uphold patient safety and dignity in emergencies.
Both NARD and NMCN reaffirmed their commitment to patient welfare, urging all medical practitioners to align with the law and professional ethics.
They emphasized that Gunshot Victims Treatment is not optional but a national responsibility that reflects the true value of human life.
The organisations further appealed to law enforcement agencies to maintain close collaboration with hospitals to ensure seamless emergency response and prevent unnecessary deaths caused by delays or fear of prosecution.
NARD and NMCN insisted that Nigerian hospitals must embrace a “treat first” policy, in line with the 2017 Act, to ensure no citizen dies due to bureaucratic hesitation.
Upholding Gunshot Victims Treatment, they said, is both a legal obligation and a moral duty—because in every emergency, saving a life must always come first.
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