Lagos considers free emergency, trauma care for accident victims

Transfers Epe General Hospital to Federal Government

Lagos State government has pledged the establishment of emergency and trauma fund to treat accident patients free of charge to prevent avoidable deaths.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who gave the assurance, yesterday, during the Lagos Trauma Conference 2024, themed: “Advancing Trauma and Emergency Response – Enhancing Trauma and Emergency Systems for a Thriving Lagos,” underscored the importance of having such fund as earlier requested by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Olusegun Ogboye.

In his keynote address, the governor stressed the need for the use of technology, including telemedicine, electronic health records, and mobile health solutions, to improve communication, data sharing, and care coordination between public and private providers.

Also at the event, the state signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the transfer of Epe General Hospital to the Federal Government to further enhance accessibility to affordable healthcare services for resident of the area.

Sanwo-Olu signed the MoU for the state government, while the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Tunji Alausa, signed on behalf of the Federal Government.

In his speech, Alausa said that with the signing of the MoU, Epe General Hospital now becomes Federal Medical Centre, Epe.

The minister, who said that the decision was aimed at making Lagos State a model for others and achieving universal health coverage for residents, which would further provide enhanced specialised services, disclosed that the Federal Government hopes to make other facilities available in the next two years.

Also speaking on the MoU, Sanwo-Olu said it was aimed at reshaping the future of health service delivery for a thriving Lagos State to enable the state to manage trauma care patients and emergencies, while restating the commitment to deepen strategies in the sector and deliverables in collaboration with stakeholders.

Wife of the governor, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, said the programme was aimed at ensuring a healthier and safer Lagos State as the importance of trauma care centres could not be over-emphasised, hence the need for adequate preparedness by applying a local sense to problems.

The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Olusegun Ogboye, who spoke on various points covered by the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), including the response cycle, service utilisation, water emergency response, said there was need for every area in the state to have a trauma emergency centre and the technology to develop it.