By Ibironke Ariyo
Dr Yusuf Suberu, Representative of NGOs and CSOs, United Nations Decade Of Action on Injury Prevention has appealed to healthcare providers to prioritise the care of accident victims nationwide.
Suberu made the call when his foundation paid a courtesy visit to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) to donate relief items and cash gifts to the hospital and to accident victims on Monday in Abuja.
Dr Yusuf John-Suberu Foundation donated N500,000 cash to the hospital, gave items like Tissues, antiseptic products, soaps, hand washes, N20,000 cash gifts each to accident victims at the hospital among others.
Suberu, who doubled as the FCT Squadron leader, Directorates of Road Traffic Services (DRTS)
emphasised the critical need for immediate medical attention to accident victims, stressing that timely intervention was crucial to saving lives.
He said that the call had become necessary following concerns over hospitals denying emergency treatment to accident victims due to lack of police reports, resulting in unnecessary deaths.
He, however, commended FMC Abuja for their swift response to accident victims adding that such act was worthy of emulation by other governments and private hospitals across the nation.
“I want to go practical.I don’t even want to go with my speech. Personally. I have bring several accident victims to this hospital and no time was the accident victim rejected.
“That is on a personal basis. I didn’t wait for somebody to assess this hospital for me. And I said to myself, though at the moment the country is a little bit tight, but in the midst of it, we are still eating and accidents are still happening.
“So therefore, we said from the little God has made available for us, let us also reach out to not just the patient, but also to the hospital.
“This is because, I know in a critical moment like this, if you have to attend to patients, sometimes they may not have money at hand. And then definitely something has to be done in that regard.
“So we personally have a little sum for the hospital and then we have donation for the accident victims too.
“Now, this is my own way of contributing to the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu. Trying to say it is not just about what the nation can give to you, but what you can also offer, “he said
According to him, if stakeholders in the health sector are doing what they ought to do, patients will not suffer at the hospitals.
“This is a place to emulate. Imagine if all the other public and private hospitals are functioning the way this hospital is functioning, that means our health care will improve drastically.
“By prioritising accident victims’ care and working together, we can prevent unnecessary deaths and reduce the impact of accidents worldwide,”he said.
Suberu called on the government at all levels to support and to set up the necessary apparatus that would also help transform the health sectors in the country.
He called on commuters and pedestrians to be careful when driving or using the roads adding that ember months comes with increase in vehicular movement due to festivities attached to the month’s.
“This is ember month, I want to tell all the commuters and the pedestrians on the need to be careful.
“Drive as if everybody in Nigeria depends on you, know that somebody’s else safety is your own safety and please before you cross the road, look well.
“When you are driving, don’t make phone calls, that one second is very important, when there is fatigue, take time to rest and regain energy to be able to continue your journey,”he said.
Reacting, the Medical Director, FMC, Dr Saad Ahmed commended the foundation’s “impactful gesture towards the hospital and accident victims.
Ahmed, who was represented by the Head of clinical services, FMC, Dr Bioku Muftau said that the donation addressed challenges faced by accident victims, including anonymity, lack of access to relatives, phones, and even funds.
He also said that the generous gesture reinforced the importance of community support in Nigeria’s healthcare system.
“Accident victims were vulnerable individuals who may be unknown, rich or poor, but require immediate care.
“This donation will provide basic resuscitative materials like IV fluids, bandages, and sutures and this foundation’s support sets an example for others to assist accident victims.
“We urge other organisations to follow suit, helping more victims access quality care. We also believe that timely intervention by doctors with these critical supplies will save lives, “he said.
Present at the event were representative of VIOs, members of NGOs and CSOs on road safety matters, relevant stakeholders among others.