How a Hospital’s Negligence Killed a ‘One Chance’ Victim in Abuja: Senate Demands Answers from IGP, Wike

Greatness Olorunfemi, a young woman who was stabbed and thrown out of a moving car by ‘one chance’ criminals in Abuja, died last week Tuesday due to the negligence of Maitama District Hospital.

The hospital reportedly refused to treat her without a police report, despite the existence of a law that mandates immediate and adequate treatment for gunshot and stab wounds.

The Senate was outraged by this sad development and summoned the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the Minister of Health, Ali Pate and his counterpart in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, over the death of Olorunfemi.

The Senate also mandated its committees on Health and Police to carry out a thorough investigation on the matter and report back in two weeks time.

The motion for the investigation was sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, APC Cross River South, who cited the Gunshots Act 2017, which states 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 or stab wound.

He also quoted Section 3 of the Act, which states that no gunshot or stab victim shall be refused immediate and adequate treatment whether or not an initial monetary deposit has been paid.

Senator Ekpenyong also called for an amendment of Section 13 of the Act for stiffer penalties against violators, saying that N50,000.00 or five years imprisonment recommended were nothing compared to human lives being wasted.

The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, in his remarks after the general debate on the motion and adoption of resolutions, said that the time has come to make the police and health personnel in the country to adhere to the provisions of the Gunshots Act 2017.

He said that the death of Greatness Olorunfemi was avoidable if the extant law had been followed. He said that the police and health care providers in the country need to save Nigerians from such avoidable deaths.

The death of Greatness Olorunfemi has sparked outrage and sympathy among Nigerians who have condemned the ‘one chance’ crime and the negligence of the hospital. Many have called for justice for Olorunfemi and better security and health care services in the country.

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