Health

THE Bauchi State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has expressed readiness to build strong collaboration with humanitarian agencies to enhance response and rescue operations during emergencies.

Mr Adamu Nayola, Director Planning Research and Statistics of the agency said this while responding to a survey by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on emergency response services in Bauchi.

He said such collaboration was imperative towards ensuring effective humanitarian support to victims of natural disasters and accidents in the state.

“Humanitarian agencies are providing assistance to disaster victims under one umbrella to help the agency with the accurate data of victims,” he said.

He listed the agencies to include Red Cross, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Fire Service, Nigerian Army, Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC).

Others are the line ministries such as health, environment, Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

“We build a viable working synergy between us for the sake of the distressed persons and humanity”.

The director urged Primary Healthcare Agency (PHCA) to establish emergency response centres in its facilities across the state.

Similarly, Habibu Babura, the Public Relations Officer, Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), said it had distributed canoes to flood prone areas to facilitate quick evacuation of trapped persons during flooding.

This, he said, was part of effective strategies adopted to enhance emergency response in building collapse and flood disaster.

Babura said the agency also distributed live jackets to riverine areas to mitigate incidents of boat capsize.

On Road Traffic Crashes (RTA), the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Gombe, said it has scaled up patrols to enhance rescue operation during accidents in the state.

The Sector Commander, Felix Theman said the corps had deployed personnel to identified hotbeds for road crashes for quick response operation.

According to him, the corps is collaborating with the state Ministry of Health and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to enhance rescue of accidents victims.

“For instance, during the Operation Zero held from Dec. 15 to Jan. 15, we engaged in several collaborative efforts to ensure that in cases of crashes, help come to victims as quickly as possible.

“Through the collaboration, we established a Help Centre in some strategic locations, the ministry provided ambulances to add to ours while NEMA provided tents.

“This really helped us in attending to crashes within the shortest possible time because we were closer to them and our personnel would quickly get to those tenths for First Aid services before referring critical cases to the health facilities,” he said.

He said the corps received three new vehicles from its headquarters while personnel had been engaged in regular training to strengthen their capacities in rescue operations, especially during night hours.

While advising motorists to adhere to road safety rules to reduce carnages, Theman reiterated readiness to collaborate with critical stakeholders to enhance rescue operations in the state.

In Jigawa; the FRSC Sector Commander, Ahmed Muhammed said the corps had deployed four ambulances and 11 patrol vehicles to enhance rescue of accident victims in the state.

He said the corps had set up its Paramedics Unit at Shuwarin village on Kano –Maiduguri Expressway.

According to him, the unit tagged “Zebra Formation” is a team of paramedics trained to provide lifesaving support to accident victims.

More so; the FRSC in Bauchi, said it has deployed ambulances equipped with oxygen facilities to enhance rescue of accident victims in the state.

The spokesman of the Corps, Rilwanu Sulaiman said the corps was not only passionate about rescue operations of accident victims but ensure that its ambulances and patrol vehicles were equipped with adequate equipment to give proper first aid treatment to victims.

“Our ambulances are well equipped in the sense that there are oxygen services in it.

“We also have enough wool and bandages to give first aid to crash victims.

“Our personnel are trained in discharging rescue operations in case of crashes and other road safety responsibilities,” he said.

Suleiman said the corps also established emergency response centres at the interval of 50 kilometres on major roads across the state.

He urged the motoring public to report accidents to the corps through its toll free number 122, to enhance rescue operation in the state. (NAN)

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Tags: Mr Adamu Nayola SEMA