Reps urge FG to establish mobile emergency clinics on highways for accident victims

The House of Representatives on Wednesday urged the Federal Government to establish and adequately equip more emergency clinics for road accident victims on federal highways across the nation.

It asked the Federal Road Safety Commission to liaise with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, and States Emergency Management Authorities to ensure that accident victims receive quick medical attention.

The House which reached the decisions sequel to the adoption of a motion sponsored by Bukar Gana (APC, Borno), also mandated the Committee on Federal Road Safety Commission to ensure compliance.

Presenting the motion, Gana said road traffic accidents have become a global public health concern but not enough attention is given to it in terms of public health enlightenment and strategic policies by the government to achieve sustainable control.

According to the lawmaker, some accidents are inevitable but a lot can be done to minimise fatalities through the establishment of functional road traffic clinics across the States of the federation.

He said Section 10(3)(q) of the Federal Road Safety Commission Act empowers the Federal Road Safety Commission to provide roadside and mobile clinics for the free treatment of road accident victims within the nation.

The lawmaker said the House is: “aware that the Federal Road Safety Commission was established to, amongst other things, rescue road accident victims from the crash site, administer first aid treatment, and operate road accident clinics to treat minor accident cases and stabilize critical victims before transferring them to the nearest hospitals.

“Concerned that there are only forty-seven traffic accident clinics across Nigeria, fifteen of which are furnished but non-functional, fourteen (14) are not furnished and non-functional, while only 18 are furnished and functional.

“Also concerned that according to the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS), 11,363 accidents were recorded in 2016 with a total number of 30,105 injured victims out of which 28,250 were adults, 1,855 were children, while 5,053 people lost their lives”.

He expressed worry that the deplorable state of major highways and reckless driving occasioned by overspeeding, drunkenness, and total disregard of traffic rules by commuters have contributed to incessant road accidents and the country requires functional clinics to prevent needless deaths.

Gana further lamented that the available roadside clinics are grossly insufficient to cater for the medical needs of commuters as the functional ones are poorly managed, and commuters will continue to die needlessly for lack of immediate medical attention.