Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos State, has committed to improving trauma care in the state by establishing a framework that guarantees no life is lost to trauma needlessly.

Sanwo-Olu made the pledge on Wednesday at the Landmark Event Centre on Victoria Island, at the Lagos Trauma Conference 2024, which was hosted by the state’s Ministry of Health.

Improving trauma care in the state has become essential, according to the governor, who also revealed that trauma is one of the main causes of mortality and disability in Lagos and throughout Nigeria.

Sanwo-Olu also made note of the fact that violent crimes, falls, traffic accidents, and other medical crises still result in fatalities and heavily impact families and communities.

Advancing Trauma and Emergency Healthcare Systems for A Thriving Lagos was the conference theme, and the governor spoke about it. He lamented the fact that many of these deaths could have been avoided with prompt and appropriate medical assistance.

He pointed out that the event was appropriate given Lagos’ ongoing development into a thriving megacity and the demands this growth places on the healthcare system, especially in terms of emergency treatment.

“We acknowledge that in order for us to properly handle both routine emergencies and major crises, our trauma care system needs to keep up with our quick growth and development.

“We have a clear task: we need to save lives and create a system that makes sure no one dies from trauma needlessly. As you may be aware, trauma ranks among the top causes of death and disability in Nigeria, including Lagos State.

“Violence, falls, road traffic accidents, and other medical problems persist in taking lives and causing significant distress to families and communities. Unfortunately, many of these deaths may be avoided with prompt and appropriate medical attention.

This event is evidence of our unwavering dedication to building a trauma care system that is adaptable and responsive, one that attends to trauma victims’ immediate needs and establishes the framework for a time when all Lagos residents will be able to count on prompt, well-coordinated, and high-quality emergency care services, according to Sanwo-Olu.

Even though the state has made great progress in Lagos’s healthcare system, he pointed out that there was still a big difference between the need and our ability to meet the demand for trauma services.

Sanwo-Olu emphasised that the state had to approach this need with a strategic vision for the future as well as a clear grasp of the areas that needed development.

“Investment in healthcare infrastructure is one of the key pillars of our strategy to enhance emergency healthcare services in Lagos,” he stated. We are aware that the foundation of efficient trauma care is a strong and well-equipped healthcare system.

We have built and renovated trauma centres, general hospitals, and our emergency pre-hospital response system, among other healthcare facilities around the state, with significant investments made in the last few years.

But there’s still a lot of work to be done. We are dedicated to developing additional trauma centres around the state, strategically positioned to ensure that no resident is far from critical treatment in the case of an emergency.”

Sanwo-Olu underlined that his administration was supplying cutting-edge medical equipment to the current healthcare facilities and making sure that all trauma centres have the supplies they needed to provide interventions that may save lives.

“Through the Lagos State Ambulance Service, we are also expanding ambulance services, ensuring that emergency medical teams can respond to trauma incidents quickly, wherever they may occur,” he continued.

“Building infrastructure is only one component of the solution. It is imperative that we should not overlook the healthcare providers themselves—the adept practitioners who work at the forefront of trauma care.

Providing high-quality trauma care requires a highly motivated and qualified healthcare staff. Building our human resources’ capacity for health is a key component of our healthcare reform.

Training and capacity-building initiatives for physicians, nurses, paramedics, and other healthcare professionals have received a lot of attention from us. Specialised training programs in trauma treatment and emergency response will be investigated by our administration.

According to him, one of these is providing doctors and nurses with improved trauma life support training so they are equipped to treat critical trauma situations as normal practice.

During his speech, Dr. Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, praised Lagos State, saying that it had become a model for the federal government and that many good programs started there before expanding across the nation.

He praised the governor for his excellent efforts and pointed out that Sanwo-Olu had made great progress in realigning Lagos’s healthcare system.

The program aims to guarantee that patients experiencing trauma, whether from minor incidents like domestic accidents or major events like road accidents, receive prompt and adequate care, according to Dr. Babayemi Osinaike, Head of the Accident and Emergency Department at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba.

In order to improve the trauma care provided to Lagosians, Osinaike stated, “This initiative is designed to coordinate stakeholders involved in trauma care, fostering a better understanding among them.”

It will assist in addressing concerns about trauma treatment procedures and first responders’ quick responses. More specifically, we want to make sure that first responders know exactly what to do in case of trauma. We want them to know who to call for help if they are unsure. Our objectives depend on this cooperation.