Lagos Gets 8 New Ambulances, Mobile Clinic Truck from Partners

…Reaffirms provision of swift ambulance services, access to PHC

Rebecca Ejifoma

The Lagos State Government has received eight new customised state-of-the-art Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) ambulances and a well-equipped mobile clinic truck from two donor partners.

The partners are Global Fund (for the ambulances), an international financing and partnership organisation, and MTN Nigeria (for the mobile clinic truck) respectively.

This was to help improve emergency medical services and provide primary healthcare outreach services in Lagos communities.

As noted in a press release signed by the Director of Public Affairs, Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, the multi-million naira MICU ambulances are equipped with essential medical, built-in emergency equipment and gadget including main ambulance stretcher with washable mattresses, stainless steel stretcher support, trauma kit.

The truck also has urinal plastic wedge, silicone resuscitator, immobilisers, ECG, Sp02, NIBP, respiration, pulse oximeter and IV hooks which are necessary to provide first aid on-the-spot treatment, stabilising and supporting patient in transit and safe transportation of patients for further medical management.

It is intended for medical outreaches and primary health care service provision in 14 local government areas in Lagos State as part of MTN’s Yello Doctor Project, which aims to strengthen primary health care (PHC) services to underserved communities across the country.

Speaking at the donation ceremony in Ikeja, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi highlighted that the state government has continued to enjoy support from its development partners, donor agencies, philanthropic organisations and well-meaning individuals who at various times donated items, resources and offered expertise in its drive to provide efficient, accessible and equitable health services to the citizenry.

He commended Global Fund and MTN Nigeria for the gifts, adding that their noble gestures would further help strengthen the state healthcare delivery system and revamp emergency and public health response in the State.

Abayomi added: “I would like to commend the donors for recognising the urgent need to support the government and for collaborating with us to strengthen the health care delivery system.

“Indeed, this is a noble gesture that deserves commendation. We have received medical facilities that are going to help us strengthen our emergency medical response and primary health care platform, which operates like a health post.”

The commissioner explained that the new ambulances, which will be added to the fleet of ambulances in the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), will go a long way in expanding the coverage area of LASAMBUS.

He hinted that the health truck will bring PHC services closer to the door steps of citizens and help bridge the access gap in health care services.

“We have been embarking on strengthening our medical emergency unit called the Lagos State Ambulance Service.

” LASAMBUS was extremely busy during COVID; picking up people who are in respiratory distress and bringing them to our care centres where we could resuscitate them with oxygen and keep them alive.

“Our fatalities in Lagos were extremely low compared to the rest of the world. Not that we didn’t have breathless people, we did, but we were able to rescue a lot of them.”

According to him, with donations like these and more from all donors, COVID-19 didn’t overwhelm them. “In other words, never at any point did we have more sick people than our system could manage”.

He also outlined that donation of ambulances to the state ambulance service is in tandem with a detailed road map for revamping LASAMBUS and ramping up our emergency response.

While noting that appropriate implementation framework will be put in place for the deployment and supervision of mobile clinic truck for medical outreaches, Abayomi said the state government is committed to ensuring the delivery of qualitative health care service delivery to the nooks and crannies of the state

The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye, also mentioned that LASAMBUS remains committed to the provision of swift and professional emergency services stressing that residents can be assured of getting fast and prompt emergency services when the need arises.

He further explained that the plan to build ambulance bases across all local government areas of the state is in top gear.

He noted that the goal is to ensure that people who need ambulance and emergency services can get it within the shortest possible time.

Earlier in his remarks, the Head Global Fund Grant Management Unit in Lagos, Biodun Omolaja disclosed that Lagos is the only state in Nigeria that has been a direct beneficiary of the Global fund grant.

He said: “Usually, when Global Fund engages countries, it does at the national level.

“But Lagos is the only state in Nigeria that has gotten direct funding from Global Fund since 2017 and that is simply because of the structure the government has in place in respect to the health sector response as well as the state approach to ownership and sustainability of various health interventions.

“Between 2017 till date, global fund has committed 40 million dollars to support various health interventions particularly HIV and TB, and of course with the COVID-19 outbreak, there was commitment of about five million dollars by global fund to support the incident action plan of the COVID-19 response”

Omolaja explained the provision of eight MICU ambulances is to strengthen the State government’s emergency medical service as part of implementation of activities in the state’s COVID-19 Incident Action Plan that is being supported by Global Fund.

In his own remarks, Director, MTN Foundation, Mr. Dennis Okoro explained that the mobile clinic truck donated by MTN Nigeria through the MTN Foundation will be used to conduct medical outreaches and primary healthcare services in 14 local government areas across Lagos State as a component of the MTN Yello Doctor Project Phase 3.

He disclosed that the 14 LGAs where the outreaches will take place are: Alimosho Apapa, Amuwo- Odofin, Badagry, Eti-Osa, Ifako-Ijaiye, kosofe, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Ibeju-lekki, Epe, Ikeja, Lagos Mainland Ojo and Shomolu.

“The MTN Yello Doctor Project was launched in 2014 and had implemented Phases one and two in Abia, Delta, Katsina, Niger, Ogun and Taraba States respectively.

“The project is aimed at strengthening the Nigerian Primary Healthcare system through the provision of free primary healthcare services to underserved communities across Nigeria via mobile medical clinics”, Okoro said.