Abuja lady dies while hospital await police report before treatment

A tragic story of a young lady, Greatness Olorunfemi, who lost her life to the negligence of a hospital in Abuja, has sparked outrage on social media. Olorunfemi was a victim of ‘one-chance’ operators, who robbed and stabbed her before pushing her out of a moving vehicle.

According to an X user, #Gbemilekhe, who shared the story on Friday, Olorunfemi was rushed to Maitama General Hospital, but they refused to attend to her without a police report. She died shortly after from excessive bleeding.

“Greatness was pushed out of a moving vehicle by one-chance criminals in Abuja. She was rushed to Maitama General Hospital, and they refused to attend to her, demanding a police report. She died afterwards,” the tweet read.

Another X user, #Nwaadaz, who claimed to be a friend of Olorunfemi, also confirmed the incident and expressed grief over the loss of his friend. He blamed the hospital for failing to save her life and violating the law that prohibits hospitals from rejecting victims of violence.

“Maitama General Hospital refused to attend to my friend who was stabbed by a one-chance driver in Abuja. They allowed her to bleed to death and locked the emergency ward against her because she didn’t have a police report!! Nigeria has failed Greatness!,” he tweeted.

The story has generated a lot of reactions from Nigerians, who condemned the hospital for its inhumanity and called for justice for Olorunfemi. Some also shared their own experiences of being denied treatment by hospitals over police reports.

The law that prohibits hospitals from rejecting victims of violence without police reports was enacted in 2017 by the Federal Government.

The law states that “any person with gunshot wounds shall be received for immediate and adequate treatment by any hospital in Nigeria with or without initial monetary deposit”. The law also applies to victims of other forms of violence, such as stabbings, accidents, and assaults.

However, many hospitals in Nigeria still flout this law and demand police reports before treating victims of violence. This has led to many avoidable deaths and suffering for Nigerians, who are often at the mercy of criminals and corrupt officials.

The case of Olorunfemi is one of the many examples of how the health system in Nigeria has failed its citizens. It is a sad reminder of the need for urgent reforms and accountability in the health sector. It is also a call for Nigerians to demand their rights and hold the government and health institutions responsible for their actions