The Ondo State government has announced the readiness of its Emergency Medical Service Agency to commence operation across the state, even as training has begun in earnest for officers in charge of the agency.
Briefing journalists in Akure yesterday, the state Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade said the agency would begin full operation as soon as the officers are through with their training.
According to Akinmade, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dayo Adeyanju, had, before the Ramadan holiday, declared open training for the officers who are expected to work at the five strategic locations of the agency in the state.
The locations, he said, are Ikare–Akoko, Owo, Bolorunduro, Ilara and Ore, where the medical team would be available and could be contacted for any emergency medical situation.
Akinmade said the Medical Service Agency would begin full operation as soon as the officers are done with their training this week.
“It’s a refresher course basically and those undergoing the training are paramedics, rescue teams, corpse dispatchers and ambulance drivers,” Akinmade said, adding that all other logistics for smooth operations are already in place.
He said the officers had been trained to ensure that the programme callers are attended to immediately.
“Before the various telephone numbers of the teams are released to the public, the facilities would be tested with all the stakeholders such as members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, officials of the Federal Road Safety commission, commercial motorcycle Riders and members of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria among others,” Akinmade said even as he charged all stakeholders to collaborate with the officers of the agency to make its set objective realisable.
According to the Commissioner, the operation of the agency is one of the rescue measures being put in place by the state government to save lives, especially accident victims across the state.
He said most accident victims die due to lack of timely medical attention but however announced that, “with the agency in place, the situation will change and lives would be preserved.”
