Kogi State Government Inaugurates Emergency Medical Treatment Committee

By Rotimi Odofin

Lokoja

In a significant move to strengthen emergency healthcare delivery and improve response to medical emergencies, the Kogi State Government has inaugurated the State Emergency Medical Treatment Committee to coordinate emergency medical services and ensure prompt access to life-saving care across the state.

Speaking shortly after the inauguration in Lokoja, the Chairman of the Committee, Dr. Olusegun Isaac Banabas, described the establishment of the committee as a critical step toward bridging the gap between medical emergencies and timely intervention.

According to him, the committee was established to ensure that emergency response systems, healthcare personnel, and available resources are adequately coordinated to save lives, particularly during road traffic accidents, childbirth complications, cardiac emergencies, and other life-threatening situations.

“When a patient’s heart stops beating, medical care becomes unnecessary and irrelevant. This committee exists to ensure that the health system, personnel, and resources are always ready to act within the critical time required to save lives,” he said.

Dr. Banabas explained that the committee’s mandate is to ensure faster emergency response, coordinated dispatch of emergency services, efficient referral systems, and guarantee that no patient is denied emergency treatment due to delays, financial constraints, or administrative bottlenecks.

The Committee Chairman commended the Governor of Kogi State, Ahmed Usman Ododo, for his unwavering political commitment to safeguarding the lives of citizens through sustained investment in the health sector.

He also praised the Coordinating Commissioner for Health, Abdulazeez Adams Adeiza, for providing purposeful leadership and fostering greater collaboration among health institutions across the state.

According to him, the level of coordination currently being witnessed within Kogi State’s health sector is unprecedented and has significantly improved cooperation among healthcare agencies and professionals.

Performing the inauguration, Dr. Adeiza charged members of the committee to regard their appointment as a call to selfless service, noting that they have been entrusted with the enormous responsibility of protecting lives during emergencies.

He reminded members that they represent a broad spectrum of emergency healthcare providers, including doctors, nurses, paramedics, ambulance drivers, and community stakeholders, stressing that effective collaboration would be essential to the committee’s success.

The Coordinating Commissioner emphasized that the committee’s primary responsibility is to coordinate emergency medical services, provide technical advice to government, strengthen referral systems, and ensure that no patient is denied emergency medical treatment because of delay, cost, or confusion.

He expressed confidence in the expertise, integrity, and commitment of the committee members, urging them to work as a united team in delivering quality emergency healthcare services to the people of Kogi State.

“The real work begins now,” he said. “Your assignment is to develop operational protocols, strengthen referral networks, improve communication among emergency responders, and build the capacity of emergency medical teams across all the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.”

Dr. Adeiza reaffirmed the commitment of the administration of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo to building a responsive and resilient healthcare system capable of delivering timely emergency medical services, in line with the government’s broader agenda of improving access to quality healthcare for all residents of Kogi State.