A few hours ago, news surfaced that a young lady was stabbed in the neck and robbed in the Gbagada area of Lagos.
The young lady was reportedly taken to a hospital R-Jolad hospital but was rejected until she bled out and died.
The hospital has now released a statement denying that they rejected her because they had no police report.
According to the statement released, the lady who goes by the name Moraedun was brought in at about 7pm by four good samaritans and was attended to by the doctor on call immediately. She was immediately referred her to the Gbagada general hospital for her to see a Vascular surgeon.
In an exclusive interview with The Nation, the hospital said;
“At R-Jolad hospital, our primary purpose has always been to save lives each time we encounter both difficult and less difficult situations. We do this for all sort of cases and all sort of people including *gunshot victims* without requesting for any police report as a requirement to be met before attending to the case.
“The most recent example (reflecting our intervention protocol) at hand was about a patient that was rushed to our facility on emergency yesterday December 2.
“In the first place, the patient was not a victim of gunshot. It was a stabbed wound. Below is the detail:
“The patient was brought in by four good Samaritans around 07:19 pm and was attended to by two doctors whose assessment indicated that the patient needed immediate attention of a vascular surgeon.
“The patient was therefore referred to the closest hospital, Gbagada General Hospital in one of the available vehicles at the spot since the ambulance was yet to return from a medical assignment. The vehicle departed exactly 07:26pm. Further findings and follow up revealed that the patient was received in Gbagada General Hospital.
“We remain true and committed to our core values which place premium and value on human lives.”
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Command has urged the deceased’s family to come forward with necessary information, evidence that would aid investigation.
Spokesman Bala Elkana also spoke on the case saying;
“There must not be police clearance at the time an injured person is brought to a hospital. Their duty is to receive and safe lives first and then report to the police within two hours. It is no longer an excuse that there is no police clearance.
“Some of gunshot victims may be innocent bystanders. Even if it is an armed robber, the law presumes all innocent until proven guilty. The police have made clear statements on several occasions about this.
“The IG has consistently warned that on no account should any hospital reject a victim for lack of police report. A public statement was issued in this regard. Hospitals have a duty to accept emergency cases and treat them.
“We encourage the deceased’s family to come forward with details of what happened in this case. We are advising hospitals to be guided by the laws of the land and ensure that their primary duty is to save lives. Saving lives come first before law enforcement because the person has to be alive to answer for his or her charges.”
