The University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo State, has begun emergency responders’ training for operatives of the Nigeria Police, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Amotekun Corps, among other security agencies.

According to the institution, the training for the various security apparatus became imperative to stem the high rate of avoidable death on highways often occasioned by inadequate emergency response skills.

While disclosing this during a stakeholders’ meeting, the Vice-Chancellor of the first specialized medical and health sciences university in the country, Prof. Adesegun Fatusi, commended the security operatives for their efforts in emergency situations.

Fatusi stressed that a lot more can still be done to save lives on highways with cutting-edge knowledge in emergency responses.

He said: “Without a doubt, our security forces are trying in the area of saving lives that could have been lost with their responses, and this must be commended.

“It is, however, disheartening that we still lose many more precious lives daily due to inadequate knowledge about what to do immediately.”

The Vice-Chancellor emphasised that the development calls for “urgent and deliberate interventions to complement the efforts of the security forces.”

On his part, the Chief Consultant to the University on Emergency Responders’ training, Prof. Olugbenga Akingbola, a professor in the Pediatrics Division of Pediatric Critical Care at Tulane School of Medicine & Children’s Hospital of New Orleans, LA, USA, urged members of Nigeria’s various security forces to take advantage of the training to improve their skills in emergency responses to accidents.

He said, “This is a commendable initiative by UNIMED. It shows a university that cares for its host community and the state, as emergency responders’ training is critical to saving lives.

“I encourage our security forces to see this as an opportunity to learn, unlearn, and relearn new skills and methods in this area.”