Delta Government Set To Enact Coroner Law Soon

By Kenneth Orusi, The Nigerian Voice, Asaba

A bill for an enactment of the Delta State Coroner Law which seeks an inquest to unravel causes surrounding the death of persons believed to have died in sudden and unnatural circumstances will soon be forwarded to the State House of Assembly for Legislative consideration.

The State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Peter Mrakpor made the disclosure when he granted audience to Members of the State Steering Committee on Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response who paid him an advocacy visit in his Chambers.

Barr. Mrakpor said when the law comes into force, it will not only help in unravelling circumstances that leads to several preventable deaths which incurs as a result of impunity or negligence but will make people accountable for their actions. Whilst lamenting the death of several people due to negligence and mismanagement, the Attorney-General averred that with the Coroner Law, any individual or persons either directly or remotely linked to the event that leads to sudden death will be held liable and prosecuted by the State.

He said the law seeks to uphold the constitutional sanctity of human life and put to end impunity and extrajudicial deaths.

On the proposed Delta State Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response bill which seek to make it mandatory for any health institution in the State to report maternal and perinatal death, the Justice Commissioner assured the Steering Committee of Government full support in ensuring that the bill is signed into law and becomes enforceable.

Earlier, the Head of the Maternal Perinatal Death Surveillance Response Advocacy Committee, Mrs Oghenekevwe Agas in her address said that the team visited the Attorney-General to intimate and solicit his support for the Delta State Maternal Perinatal Death Surveillance Response process and proposed bill.

Mrs. Agas while stressing the importance of an appropriate enabling law disclosed that the setting up of the Committee was in response to the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation that all countries should establish a medical audit system that will identify various causes of maternal deaths with the aim of preventing same.

Also speaking, the State Coordinator of the Committee, Dr. Patrick Okonta of the Ministry of Health appealed to the Justice Commissioner to expedite action by presenting the MPDSR bill as an executive bill to the State House of Assembly for speedy passage adding that if the bill is passed in a record time, Delta State will be the first State in the Federation to have a law that will monitor Maternal and Perinatal death.