Delta State House of Assembly on Wednesday passed a bill on Compulsory Treatment and Care of Gunshot Victims.
The passage of the bill followed the adoption of the motion moved by Majority Leader, Chief Ferguson Onwo, at plenary presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Christopher Ochor.
Presenting the bill, Onwo said that when signed into law, it would help to abolish the request for a police report by most healthcare providers before commencing treatment on gunshot victims.
The motion was unanimously adopted by the lawmakers when put to a voice vote by the deputy speaker.
”Most people have lost their loved ones to avoidable deaths due to demand for police reports by hospitals before giving treatment to gunshot victims.
”This is a great relief and victory for democracy. I, therefore, expressed my gratitude to the sponsors and to all of you on the successful passage of this very important bill.
”With the passage of this bill, we have solved a puzzle that has bedeviled our society for a long time,” Onwo said.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the passage, the sponsor of the bill, Mr Charles Oniyere, representing Ughelli North I Constituency, said that it was targeted at saving life first.
”Life must be saved first and thereafter, we know the circumstances leading to being a gunshot victim,” he said.
Oniyere also said that there was a penalty for healthcare providers who failed to attend to victims of gunshots.
”All we have done today is to domesticate an existing federal law which most people at the grassroots are not aware of,” he said