Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, has called on hospitals in the country to prioritise saving lives above any other thing.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a candid interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, Pate expressed his deep concern about the plight of patients who, in critical conditions, have been subjected to unnecessary delays due to the requirement for police reports for gunshot or accident cases.
This call comes as a response to the unfortunate practice of hospitals demanding police reports from gunshot and accident victims before commencing treatment, which has led to the tragic loss of lives on many occasions.
Pate stated that the Federal Government has intervened with a directive to ensure that saving lives takes precedence.
“Recently there have been concerns about patients who show up at the emergency facilities and police reports being asked about gunshots or accidents. That’s really unfortunate, but in all federal teaching hospitals, for instance, I was in Maiduguri at the weekend, life has to be saved first.
“Life first and we have reemphasised that. All our hospitals I believe are doing that. No person should come with an emergency, or life-threatening challenge and be made to lose their life while awaiting police report.
Pate went on to emphasize that this directive applies across the board, from federal teaching hospitals to private medical facilities throughout the nation.
“Saving lives comes first and that is the direction we have given; that is what we would pursue and we hope that all hospitals including private hospitals will have this mindset that in health, it’s save lives first,” Pate asserted.
Pate also addressed the Federal Government’s commitment to expanding health insurance across the country with the recent launch of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) as a vital step towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Pate added that access to affordable, high-quality healthcare for all Nigerians is regarded as a critical component of the nation’s health strategy.
