A consultant Cardiologist, Dr Ramon Moronkola, has urged the Federal Government to strengthen the nation’s health Emergency Response system to promote access to timely and quality healthcare services.
Moronkola, who works with the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), advised in an interview on Monday in Lagos.
He spoke in commemoration of the World Health Day (WHD), celebrated annually on April 7.
The WHD is celebrated annually on April 7 to commemorate the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1948.
The theme for 2024 WHD is: “My Health, My Right”.
This year’s theme was chosen to champion the right of everyone, everywhere to have access to health services, education, and information, as well as safe drinking water, clean air, good nutrition, quality housing, decent working and environmental conditions, and freedom from discrimination.
Moronkola said the emergency response of the health system needed to be restructured to adequately take care of critical health emergencies and save more lives.
According to him, an effective emergency response system is key to quality healthcare delivery.
ALSO READ: Tinubu approves national health fellows program launch
He explained that emergency response entails the first responder, the ability to safely transport the patient and the network of appropriate referrals.
“Emergency response system is key in quality healthcare delivery because when an individual has an emergency, the first person that comes to attend to this individual has a big role to play in determining his/her survival.
“This means that the first responder starts the chain of survival of this patient and that’s where the emergency response system comes in.
“Also, when this patient is being carried to a definitive hospital, the appropriateness of the transfer is very important in determining the survival and the appropriateness in referral in terms of where will the patient be taken to is also important.
“So, these are key areas that need to put together by the government for the country to have effective health emergency response system,” he said.
Moronkola said there was need for the establishment of a functional centre assigned with the mandate of coordinating the health emergency response system to ensure effective operation.
He said there is also a need for proper training of the cadre of staff that manage the centre; equip them with functional ambulance and other appropriate equipment needed for the service.
The Cardiologist, therefore, urged the government to restructure the health system, stressing the need to develop a health system that would constantly audit and adjusted to the appropriateness of health needs of the populace.
“There is urgent need to strengthen emergency response in the health system.
“This has to be put in policy. The government need to sit down to restructure and determine how to run the health system.
“There is a need to train this cadre of staff.
ALSO READ: WHD: WHO says Africa recording better health outcomes
“Equip them with enough functional ambulance in a functional centre that coordinates them, in such a way that if someone calls the emergency number, the people that are going there – they already know what to do when they get there.
“They know the hospital to contact immediately they get there – that this is what we suspect this patient is having and that the nearest hospital equipped to address it is so kilometres away.
“They are already in contact with the hospital and the hospital is already giving advise on what to do on their way to the hospital.
“So, the role of emergency response system via the first responder to a great extent determines the survival of an individual in an emergency situation,” Moronkola said.
NAN
