Edo deploying novel model to boost response to medical emergency - Commissioner

_*… we’ve responded to 27 emergency calls in one month*_

The Edo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Samuel Alli, said the State Government is leveraging strategic collaboration with the private sector to boost response to medical emergencies in the State.

The commissioner, in a chat with journalists, said residents in the Oredo, Egor, and Ikpoba-Okha LGAs can access medical and ambulance services by calling the Edo Emergency Toll-Free Number, 112 or 739, noting that, “This is a pilot phase for residents within Benin City.

“After this pilot phase which will last for about a year, the State Government will extend the medical emergency services to other parts of the State. After we have looked into the things we didn’t do well in the pilot phase, we can now extend it.”

“We cannot start something new and you want to cover a large area. This is why we are starting small. Then as we make progress, we will review what we have been able to do in one year. We can now close the gap and extend it to all over the State. So part of the programme is to extend it to all over the state but gradually.”

Dr. Alli said the State is executing the Medical Emergency Response Programme with the partnership of “Emergency Response Africa which is well noted for executing such a project and actually they are also bringing some level of expertise and funding to ensure this project is established and effectively executed in the State.

“It is a partnership that the State Government is benefitting both in terms of technical expertise and in terms of funding. It is a win-win for the citizens of the State.”

According to the commissioner, the “initiative is encouraging because it covers all the areas. There are ambulance services and first responders- those who are the first persons to attend to the accident victims. We are training people on that. How do you even respond in terms of emergency? These are things everyone should know actually.”

According to the Project Manager, Edo Medical Service (EMS), Kate Ibeanusi, “In one month, from 18th March to 16th April 2024 we have responded to 27 emergency calls. Out of this, the number of calls dispatched to the ambulance is 21 and 6 hospital transfers. Within this period, we had one hoax call. We encouraged residents within Benin City to take advantage of this initiative by reporting medical emergencies to save lives.”