Reps Seek Provision Of ‘First Responder’ Services To Highway Accidents Victims  

The House of Representatives, on Tuesday, called for the provision of first responder services to the victims of road accidents on the highways across the country.

Accordingly, the House urged the Federal Government to train and deploy first responders to all major highways in Nigeria to help stabilise victims of road accidents before handing them over to the nearest healthcare institutions for further attention.

The reolutions were sequel to the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon. Olamijuwonlo Alao-Akala from Oyo State at plenary.

Alao-Akala explained that a first responder is a person with specialised training, who is amongst the first to arrive and provide assistance, pre-hospital care or incident resolution at the scene of an emergency to victims of an accident until they are handed over or delivered to a hospital.

He noted that first responders typically include law enforcement officers (in the instant case, commonly known as Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigeria Police Force), paramedics, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians.

The lawmaker argued that: “In some jurisdictions, such as the United States of America emergency department

personnel, such as doctors and nurses, are also required to respond to disasters and critical situations, designating them first responders.

“One of the primary responsibilities of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) is to make sure that Nigerian highways are safe for motorists and other road users.

“Section 8(c) of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) Act gives FERMA the responsibility of planning and managing the development and implementation of road safety standards.”

He expressed concern that innocent lives and dreams have been cut short on Nigeria highways, mostly as a result of the absence of or slow medical response to road accident victims.

Adopting the motion, the House urged FEMA in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and other relevant Ministries to provide fully equipped medical ambulances at every 15km point on every major highway, and every 35km point on all minor highways in the country.