By Ayodele Abere
A Consultant Cardiologist at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), Ado-Ekiti, Dr. Ojo Opeyemi, has emphasized the need for people to be educated on what to do when they encounter emergency victims.
The Consultant who was one of the resource persons at a one- day training organised by the Ado Progressive Union (APU), United Kingdom Chapter, on Thursday to educate people on what to do to make sure that they don’t just die anyhow, held at the Main Auditorium of College of Nursing Sciences, University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), Ado-Ekiti, the State capital.
The training which has the following topics discussed by various resource persons;
“Building Trust and Cooperation Strategies for Strengthening Public – Security Agency Relationship in Emergency Response in Nigeria.
“Barrier to Effective Emergency: Examining Public Practices and Institutional Challenges in Nigeria” as well as“BLS Training for Emergency Responses”, were explicitly treated.
The Cardiologist, who lamented the fact that there’s no functional emergency phone numbers that people can call noted that, even when people reach out to some of the concerned agencies, that ambulances won’t be available, and that when ambulances are available, equipment are lacking, just as the people to respond are not well trained on how to handle some of the emergency victims.
Noting that emergency victims are not even covered by insurance, the expert said there’s no where in the world that the emergency victims are expected to pay out of pocket, citing the country as an instance of where people usually paid money to get emergency services which according to him should change.
While seeking for good collaboration among the stakeholders, the consultant urged for provision of well equipped ambulances, good roads and well trained personnel in the hospital including the first responders as he called for robust health insurance.
“It should cover almost all emergencies. It shouldn’t be limited to some certain areas. People should be able to get emergency services within the first 14 to 72 hours without any payment out of pocket. This is how emergency medical services in Nigeria and Ekiti State can work”. Said the Doctor.Another resource person, a Consultant
cardiothoracic surgeon and Head of the Department of the Accident and Emergency, Ekiti State Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, Dr. David Idowu, said community empowerment is very important saying emergencies go beyond the duty of health workers only.
“We need to develop ourselves. If keep on waiting for westerners’ aides, it may take time. We need to start building our own emergency response system. Once we have that in place, then we can do something for somebody that is under emergency for the person to be saved. Dr. Idowu explained.
On his part, a consultant and Esthesiologist at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, Dr. Aderemi Filani, advised that when people see anybody collapsed wherever they are, that they should try as much as possible to assist.
Filani said the first thing is not to start making videos, or pouring water on the patient, but to commence basic life support to increase the chance of survival of such patient. Adding that the focus of the programme is to reduce the chance of cardiac arrest leading to sudden death. He remarked that cardiac arrest should not compulsorily be a premonition to sudden death.
“If we do what we are supposed to do on time, the patient with cardiac arrest can still survive it”. Doctor Filani maintained.
In his own reaction, a Public Health Physician an President of the Association of Resident Doctors, Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, (EKSUTH), Ado-Ekiti, Dr. Famous Adeyemi, said the objective of the programme is to change the behaviour of the people towards emergency response, and also, to change their knowledge, attitude and practice towards emergencies in the society.
“It’s a common knowledge that when people are dying in this present day society, instead of people trying to rescue the dying patient, they will just pick their phones trying to make a video shots and post it on the social media.
“It’s a barbaric attitude. There were some deaths that could have been prevented if people could stand up to help”.
He therefore appealed to the members of the public to always ensure to be of help to one anotherwhenever they see someone dying. Maybe somebody is having cardiac arrest, heartattack or somebody that is dying at the point of accident or gunshot, Dr. Adeyemi urged that such patient should be rescued first.
The President, Ado Progressive Union, United Kingdom, Prince Adeniran Adewumi, while speaking on the programme, explained that the union is a charity organisation that has been helping people by giving foods in the UK, Ado-Ekiti as well as other towns in Ekiti State.
Stressing further, he said the Union recently did three boreholes in Ado-Ekiti, we did library programme in the past. Based on the experiences of how people die sudden death. It shouldn’t be. They don’t deserve sudden death. There’s a little thing we can do.
“Even though, the facilities are not here in Nigeria like the UK, there are little little things we can do to help”. Said the Prince.
At the training were all the stakeholders who are first responders in Ekiti State. Members of the Health Workforce, Paramilitaries, Military Agencies, Police Officers, Federal Road Safety Corps, Civil Defence and Prison Service
Others include; others include; the educationists, representatives of all the secondary and primary schools in Ado-Ekiti.
