A physician and Managing Director of Braingrace Ambulance Services Limited, Dr Stephen Aiyeyemi Akeremale, has called for greater investment in specialised anaesthesia and critical care training to improve emergency response and save lives.

Speaking at the sixth graduation ceremony of the School of Anaesthetic Studies, Akeremale said airway management could determine whether critically ill patients survived medical emergencies and transportation.

He noted that patients could deteriorate unexpectedly during transit, requiring immediate airway management, resuscitation, ventilatory support, sedation or endotracheal intubation.

He stressed that losing control of a patient’s airway could be fatal, making its assessment, protection and management essential skills for healthcare professionals involved in emergency and pre-hospital care.

Akeremale said his experience as a flight physician had exposed him to situations where rapid clinical intervention could mean the difference between life and death, particularly during medical evacuations with limited access to hospital facilities.

He explained that specialised airway management skills were crucial for stabilising critically ill patients during ambulance and aeromedical transportation, especially over long distances.

Challenging the perception that anaesthesia was primarily associated with surgery, he said its applications extended to emergency medicine, trauma care, intensive care, pre-hospital treatment and aeromedical evacuation.

According to him, training equips healthcare professionals with skills in airway management, patient monitoring, pain control, sedation, ventilatory support and emergency response.

“Whether managing a critically injured trauma victim on the roadside, stabilising a patient during a long-distance air evacuation, or accompanying a critically ill patient on a commercial medical escort flight, the ability to protect and control the airway can determine the outcome of the entire mission,” he said.

He urged doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals to pursue specialised training in anaesthesia and critical care, noting that Nigeria and other African countries needed more skilled personnel to strengthen emergency services and improve patient outcomes.

Describing his diploma as an investment in better emergency medical services rather than merely another qualification, Akeremale reaffirmed his commitment to advancing critical care transportation and strengthening emergency medical systems in Nigeria and across Africa.

“For me, studying anaesthesia was not simply about earning a diploma; it was about acquiring the knowledge, competence, and confidence necessary to secure the most precious gift of all, human life,” he said.

Also speaking, the Coordinator of the School of Anaesthetic Studies, Dr Abiola Mafe, said the graduates would strengthen the specialist workforce needed to improve anaesthesia services and healthcare delivery in Lagos State and beyond.

Mafe said the school had secured full accreditation from the West African College of Surgeons for its diploma, membership and fellowship programmes.

She also announced a memorandum of understanding with Ladoke Akintola University of Technology to establish a master’s degree pathway in its nursing programme, aimed at advancing trainees’ academic and professional development.

Mafe appealed to the Lagos State government, the State’s Health Service Commission, corporate organisations and other stakeholders to support the school ahead of the re-accreditation of its nursing anaesthesia programme.

She further announced a N1.22 million endowment fund in honour of the school’s late pioneer coordinator, Dr Olaniyi Oladapo. The fund, established through contributions from the Lagos Anaesthetists Association and the school, would reward the overall best candidate in the Diploma in Anaesthesia examination.

Mafe urged the graduates to uphold professional competence, integrity and compassion, stressing that every patient entrusted to their care deserved the highest standard of treatment.