abdullahisadiq
New member
- Joined
- May 2, 2016
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Afrikaans
- Home Country
- Nigeria
- Current Location
- Nigeria
Kindly look through this article below and help fish out the errors
Penultimate Sunday, a team of medical doctors from Ekiti state on their way to Sokoto state in far north-western Nigeria to attend Annual Delegate Meeting (ADM) of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) were involved in a ghostly motor accident where six of the 13 doctors on board died. It is a great and irreparable loss to their immediate family members, NMA family, Ekiti state and the country at large. There is nothing more painful and devastating than a doctor seeing his fellow colleague dying under his very eyes and yet he could not do anything because he was incapacitated technically. No intravenous cannula, no intravenous fluid or blood to transfused. It is so disheartening that just 60 kilometres to a major state and less than 150 kilometres from the federal capital of Nigeria, no hospital is staffed and equipped enough to handle accident victims efficiently.
Recently, a minister of Federal Republic of Nigeria and his family members perished in the same road. The wife of the late minister was allegedly said to be rescued alive after the crash but she died subsequently due to lack of prompt emergency care. I thought following the minister’s death, closure of the condolence register and the valedictory Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, the federal government and the concerned state governments, will in the short term order for the immediate staffing and equipping of the general hospitals along the major roads in Nigeria and in the long term plan a situation analysis of our roads with a view to identify the causes of frequent accidents on our road, as a way of showing solidarity to their late colleague and his family and Nigeria as well. People are dying every day in Nigerian roads and Nigerian roads become death trap so much that special prayers are offered to any impending traveller either at motor park before plying road or at home at the point of departure with family members. I am not saying pre-travel prayer is bad but the manner and intensity of the payers tell how unsafe Nigerian roads are. I don’t know if the same kind of prayer is being offered if one is travelling by road abroad. Men of Federal Road Safety Commission, members of Red Cross society, Police men, fellow commuters and people nearby are usually the first contacts to the accident victims. The big question is how trained are these category of people in providing rescue services. How much do they know about stopping bleeding, immobilising fractured limb, insertion of neck collar or even moving accident victims. Incomplete fracture can be converted to complete when the victim is mal-handled. Additionally, what resuscitative apparatus are available in the rescue vehicles of such personnel? Do they have oxygen mask, oxygen cylinder, sphygmomanometer, stethoscope, ambubag, intravenous fluid, gauze bandage, neck collar etc. What I see, most of the time, is accident victims being ferried at the back of a Hilux vehicle. In Nigeria, institutions work independently. Federal Road Safety Commission has no proper collaboration with government or private hospitals such that road safety officials have contacts of emergency rooms of such hospitals so that when accident occurs, contact can be made ahead of the arrival of the victims. On the other hand, poorly motivated and overwhelmed health staff at times rejects accident victims not accompanied by a police man. Accidents in Nigeria roads can be reduced if government engaged in total rehabilitation of the major inter-state roads. Many of them are in deplorable state at the moment and in dire need of urgent attention. Reckless driving, over speeding and answering phone calls while driving can be reduced through continuous driver education and punishment to offenders. Death from Road Traffic Accident can be reduced through proper education and staffing of the rescue teams. Nigerian Medical Association, Joint Health Staff Union (JOHESU), National Association of Resident Doctors can partner with FRSC and educate their personnel on emergency management. Media organisations can play a role in educating the public on danger of over speeding, reckless driving and violation of traffic rules. Civil Society Organisation can canvass support for legislative backing to provide free emergency services to accident victims for at least first 48hours whether in private or government hospitals.
Penultimate Sunday, a team of medical doctors from Ekiti state on their way to Sokoto state in far north-western Nigeria to attend Annual Delegate Meeting (ADM) of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) were involved in a ghostly motor accident where six of the 13 doctors on board died. It is a great and irreparable loss to their immediate family members, NMA family, Ekiti state and the country at large. There is nothing more painful and devastating than a doctor seeing his fellow colleague dying under his very eyes and yet he could not do anything because he was incapacitated technically. No intravenous cannula, no intravenous fluid or blood to transfused. It is so disheartening that just 60 kilometres to a major state and less than 150 kilometres from the federal capital of Nigeria, no hospital is staffed and equipped enough to handle accident victims efficiently.
Recently, a minister of Federal Republic of Nigeria and his family members perished in the same road. The wife of the late minister was allegedly said to be rescued alive after the crash but she died subsequently due to lack of prompt emergency care. I thought following the minister’s death, closure of the condolence register and the valedictory Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, the federal government and the concerned state governments, will in the short term order for the immediate staffing and equipping of the general hospitals along the major roads in Nigeria and in the long term plan a situation analysis of our roads with a view to identify the causes of frequent accidents on our road, as a way of showing solidarity to their late colleague and his family and Nigeria as well. People are dying every day in Nigerian roads and Nigerian roads become death trap so much that special prayers are offered to any impending traveller either at motor park before plying road or at home at the point of departure with family members. I am not saying pre-travel prayer is bad but the manner and intensity of the payers tell how unsafe Nigerian roads are. I don’t know if the same kind of prayer is being offered if one is travelling by road abroad. Men of Federal Road Safety Commission, members of Red Cross society, Police men, fellow commuters and people nearby are usually the first contacts to the accident victims. The big question is how trained are these category of people in providing rescue services. How much do they know about stopping bleeding, immobilising fractured limb, insertion of neck collar or even moving accident victims. Incomplete fracture can be converted to complete when the victim is mal-handled. Additionally, what resuscitative apparatus are available in the rescue vehicles of such personnel? Do they have oxygen mask, oxygen cylinder, sphygmomanometer, stethoscope, ambubag, intravenous fluid, gauze bandage, neck collar etc. What I see, most of the time, is accident victims being ferried at the back of a Hilux vehicle. In Nigeria, institutions work independently. Federal Road Safety Commission has no proper collaboration with government or private hospitals such that road safety officials have contacts of emergency rooms of such hospitals so that when accident occurs, contact can be made ahead of the arrival of the victims. On the other hand, poorly motivated and overwhelmed health staff at times rejects accident victims not accompanied by a police man. Accidents in Nigeria roads can be reduced if government engaged in total rehabilitation of the major inter-state roads. Many of them are in deplorable state at the moment and in dire need of urgent attention. Reckless driving, over speeding and answering phone calls while driving can be reduced through continuous driver education and punishment to offenders. Death from Road Traffic Accident can be reduced through proper education and staffing of the rescue teams. Nigerian Medical Association, Joint Health Staff Union (JOHESU), National Association of Resident Doctors can partner with FRSC and educate their personnel on emergency management. Media organisations can play a role in educating the public on danger of over speeding, reckless driving and violation of traffic rules. Civil Society Organisation can canvass support for legislative backing to provide free emergency services to accident victims for at least first 48hours whether in private or government hospitals.
