RANDOM MUSINGS: ICT ADOPTION IN NIGERIA AND TREATMENT (OR NOT) OF GUNSHOT VICTIMS

I sit at my reading table and instead of working on the report I sat down to do, I am reminiscing about very varied things that are wrong in my country- the fuel scarcity going on at the moment; the benefits ICT will bring various sectors in other parts of Nigeria, apart from Lagos and Abuja; the electricity problem that has stagnated the growth of entrepreneurship in Nigeria, amongst other things. In the midst of my reminiscing, I suddenly remember stories from my mum about how patients with gunshot wounds are not allowed treatment in the hospital where she works until they provide a police report authorising treatment to be carried out on the patient.

I wonder why I had never thought about this before. But why in heaven's name is there a law like this? And what exactly does the law state? I quickly google the said law and I come up with the following from here about the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provision) Act, Cap 398, 1984, which states thus:

 'It shall be the duty of any person, hospital or clinic that admits, treats or administers drug to any person suspected of having bullet wounds to immediately report the matter to the police.' 

The Act further states:

 'It shall be an offence, punishable under this Act for any person to knowingly house, shelter, or give quarters to any person who has committed an offence under Section (2) of this Act.'

The Act doesn't clearly state that hospitals shouldn't treat gunshot wound victims. But the Nigerian Police interprets the above stated clauses in the Act in such a way that it becomes an offence for hospitals to treat bullet wound patients who do not have police reports. Needless to say, a lot of hospitals in Nigeria in the past have been forced to bribe their way out of police net when they have been unknowingly roped into this. The result is that hospitals in Nigeria now totally refuse to give not even as much as First Aid treatment to gunshot victims until a police report has been produced.

I assume that, for the police, their interpretation of this law enables them to catch armed robbers who get wounded by the police in their operations but still manage to escape. Fine, some robbers have been caught through this method. But what about the large number of innocent people who get robbed and shot at almost every other day in different parts of the country? I remember now stories I heard and read about how some gunshot victims die before the police report arrives, because even though they are rushed to the hospital early enough, they don't get the treatment they need to survive. Yes, the law serves some valuable purpose (I say valuable very reluctantly, because if things are done properly, there would be no need for this in the first place. Besides, most armed robbers who are already aware of the law would try to find other means to get the bullets out of their bodies without visiting hospitals). But, taking a wholesome view, this law does more harm than good.

How about modifying this law to be such that when a gunshot wound victim come to the hospital for treatment, the hospital rings up the nearest police station to inform them about the case WHILE they treat the patient? It would still serve the purpose of fishing out wounded armed robbers who seek treatments in hospitals, right? Better still, innocent victims who get shot can also get treatment early enough in our hospitals.

Oh! I forgot: Most of our police stations don't have hotlines. For the ones that do, calls to the phone numbers rarely ever connect. And in the cases where the phone rings, it takes decades to get answered, and centuries for whatever reported matter to be acted upon!

So my thoughts come back to how ICT adoption will greatly benefit various sectors in every part of the country. I also think again about how regular electricity would increase ICT adoption. And then, just then, I realize that the problem isn't ICT adoption in various sectors in Nigeria. It's about a solid system in place to ensure that whatever ICT service that is set up, works, is used for that purpose, and that the reasons for the service is realized. 

I guess I'd keep pondering about these things as the polls draw closer. But for now, enough of my musings. Time to get back to what brought me to my reading table in the first place.