NIGERIAN HOSPITALS NOW TO TREAT GUNSHOT WOUNDS WITHOUT POLICE REPORT - SEN. ITA ENANG

Physicians and medical workers in Nigerian Hospitals across the country can now treat gun shot wounds without first requesting for a police report before commencing treatment on any victim.

This was made known by Senator Ita Enang, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate). He made this known to State House correspondents in Abuja on Friday while stating that President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act, 2017 into law alongside other five bills.

The five other bills are

The Niger Delta Development Commission (Establishment) Amendment Act, 2017;

The Anti-Torture Act 2017;

The Federal Capital Appropriation Act;

The Federal Capital Territory Water Board (Establishment) Act 2017;

and the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (Establishment) Act 2017.

Senator Enang stated that the Gunshot Act specifically stipulates that a person with gunshot shall be received for immediate and adequate treatment by any hospital in Nigeria with or without initial monetary deposit. A person with gunshot wound shall not be subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment or torture by any person or authority, including the police and other security agencies,” he explained.

On Niger Delta Development Commission (Establishment) Amendment Act, 2017, Enang said the NDDC Act also included the gas producing and gas processing companies in the list of agencies that were contributing to the Niger Delta Development Commission, in addition to oil companies to increase funding of the commission for effective discharge of its duties.
He added that “previously, the NDDC Act excluded gas companies. The Act makes it explicit that gas companies have to be included. “This is to diversify sources of funding for the NDDC for the economic wellbeing of the region.’’

On the Anti-Torture Act, he said it makes comprehensive provisions for penalising acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, and prescribes penalties for the commission of such acts.

On the Federal Capital Appropriation Act, the president’s aide explained that the Act authourised the Federal Capital Territory Administration to legally and legitimately provide funds out of its Statutory Revenue Fund for recurrent and capital expenditure.

On the Federal Capital Territory Water Board Establishment Act, he noted that the act was charged with the responsibility of providing safe, adequate and affordable water to FCT residents.

The National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (Establishment) Act, 2017, he said is to provide national direction in cancer research, control and treatment; guide scientific improvements to cancer prevention, treatment and care, coordinate and liaise between the wide range of groups and health care providers with an interest in cancer.

“The six Acts have come into effect as laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.’’

Source: http://headline.com.ng/doctors-now-treat-gunshot-wounds-without-police-report/amp/

THE FAMILY

Definition of the Family
The family is the most basic unit of any human social organization, comprising of the father, mother and their biological and /or adopted children. Thus, communities are composed of aggregates of families; while several communities form the states and the various states together from the nation. Thus the health and wellbeing of the nation is dependent on the health status of families. 

PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AMONG FAMILIES

The problems can grouped into:
i. Genetic Problems
ii. Environmental problems
iii. Combination of both Genetic and environmental problems.

Genetic problems: Some of the genetic problems are:
Hemoglobin SS
Down’s Syndrome
G6PD deficiency
Hemophilia
Achrondroplasia

Environmental Problems These are problems emanating from man’s total environment. The total environment can be sub grouped as follows
1. Physical environment
2. Biological environment
3. Chemical environment
4. Socio-cultural environment
5. Political environment
6. Economic environment
7. Psychological environment
8. Spiritual/religious environment

Problems may ensue from any of the above, problem may also cut a complex picture of intertwined components of the total environment. Analysis of problems as may be due to each component will make it easy to appreciate the whole picture.

Physical Environment 
Land Topography and Texture
- Slope encourage erosions and washing of top soil.
- Rocky environment reduces space for farming and development
- Very flat topography leads to poor drainage system and encourage flooding
 
Climate
- In thick forest – land preparation for farming and development is costlier
- In Savannah forest – fire outbreak is easy especially during dry season implies destruction of crops in the farm.

Seasons 
In dry season there is little rain. This leads to 
- Dryness and this implies fire accidents
- Drought – famine – malnutrition – susceptibility to diseases
These can serve as ventricles and vectors of disease causing organisms

Chemical Environment
Discovery of oil in Nigeria is beneficial. It is however not without its problems like:
Oil spillage – land pollution
- Compromised land fertility and crops
- Low/no income to farmers
- Poverty 
- Hunger
- Malnutrition
- Susceptibility to diseases
- Premature deaths
- Contamination of water – disease – death

Based on oil discovery, industries sprang up that lead to environmental pollution by toxic agents
- Genetic mutations
- Cancer e.g Koko village episode
 
Socio/Cultural Environment
There are good and bad socio/cultural practices. The bad ones lead to family and reproductive health problems:
- Gender bias
- Early marriage (Female)
This deprive females of opportunity to be educated and to be good and efficient future mothers. Those culminate in increased maternal and child morbidity and mortality.
- Female genital mutilation leads to complications like:
- Hemorrhage, severe pains
- Infections
- Low birth weight
- Increased infant morbidity and mortality

Malnutrition causes anaemia. This leads to increased morbidity and mortality especially maternal and child morbidity and mortality. In Raining Season: too much rain can cause flooding this can lead to:
- Destruction of houses and properties
- Submerged farm lands
- Family displacement] environmental pollution
- Disease susceptibility

 Biological Environment
This is divisible to:
- Micro organisms
- Macro organisms
There are different types of microorganisms and the diseases they cause:
- Bacteria: cause disease like: diarrhea, vomiting, typhoid, cholera, tuberculosis, amoebiasis, pneumonias, meningitis, dipheria whooping cough,
- Viruses – cause diseases like: poliomyelitis, Hepatitis, measles, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Rubella, plumps, Rabies, yellow fever, Rubella virus leads to genetic mutation of fetus.
- Parasites: causes – malaria, taemiasis, hydatid disease, leistimaniasis, ascariasis, hookworm infection, dracunculiasis etc.
- Macro organism is divisible to:
- Plants
- Animals
- Human
- HIV/AIDS spread – through contaminated instruments. Dislocation and fractures – because of how the child is held down.
- Acute urinary retention
- Renal problems
- Pelvic infections
-  Infertility 
- Haemametria
- Keloid formation
- Obstructed labour
- Bad obstetric history, post partum heamorrhage
- Sexual dissatisfaction
- Sexual promiscuity
- Disease susceptibility
- Marital instability

Political Environment
- Products of broken homes
- Juvenile delinquency
- Delinquents shootings their ways to power
- Maladministration
- Political instability
- Wars and disasters
- Failure to execute health plans
- Health programmes dies prematurely
- No community of health programmes
- No acceptable, accessible, affordable health care system
- Affects family, community and Reproductive health adversely.

 Psychological Environment
Emotional stability is crucial to growth in all ramifications. All the aforementioned problems lead to environmental and social stress that predispose susceptible people to emotional instability and even psychiatric problems. When the problems persists even the non-susceptible groups are likely to reach their elastic limits. Many of the psychiatric cases are missed by less knowledgeable health workers in the community. Wrong management is applied until they eventually stumble on professionals in secondary or tertiary health institutions. Psychiatric problems in primary health care has been under estimated.
 

Religious Environment
About seventy five percent (75%) of illness in Africa in general and in Nigeria in particular are psychosomatic majority of people out of wrong zeal, overzealous attitude and poverty take refuge in religious institutions wrongly when there are health problems. Fanatics reject beneficial health programmes on the basis of religious believes. Recently, Kano rejected National Immunization Day programme (NIDs).
 

Economic Environment
Taking cognizance of the factors mentioned above and others that could be secondary to them, the individual economic status is bound to be depressed, hence the depression of family, community, state and national economy. Money does everything. Poverty is one of the trials that trigger off chains of health problems into a vicious cycle.
...........to be cont'd