Trauma: Lagos Health Commissioner urges residents to save accident victims before taking videos

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, has expressed concern over the growing trend of bystanders recording accident scenes instead of helping victims, warning that such delays often cost lives on Lagos roads.

Speaking in Lagos during a symposium to mark the 2025 World Trauma Day with the theme “Reducing Needless Deaths on Our Roads: Everybody’s Responsibility,” Abayomi, represented by the Director of Medical Services, Dr Olawale Adegbite, urged residents to prioritise saving lives before taking videos or obstructing ambulances.

He said trauma care begins with public responsibility, stressing that every Lagosian has a moral and civic duty to assist first responders during emergencies.

“Every time we block an ambulance or ignore an emergency call, someone’s parent, spouse, or child could be dying,” Abayomi said.

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening emergency preparedness and trauma response systems, noting that most trauma cases in the state are preventable incidents caused by human errors.

Abayomi highlighted that trauma victims brought in by the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) recorded higher survival rates than those transported by bystanders, attributing it to proper pre-hospital intervention.

Earlier in her remarks, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, represented by Dr Oluwatoni Adeyemi, said trauma remains a leading cause of preventable deaths and disabilities globally, particularly from road crashes.

She noted that under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s leadership, Lagos had improved ambulance coverage, response time, and coordination among first responders, with recent additions such as ten emergency ambulance bikes and modular high-dependency units in Ifako and Mushin General Hospitals.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr Olusegun Ogboye, shared the story of a trauma survivor, “Mr Andrew,” who was saved through coordinated emergency response after a car crash. He said the government is expanding trauma centres across Epe, Eti-Osa, and Badagry in partnership with private organisations like Custodian Allied Insurance and Access Bank.

He also called for a change in public attitude, especially among motorists who often block ambulances. “You move aside for convoys and security vehicles, yet block ambulances carrying lives. That behavior must change,” he warned.

The Medical Director of the Lagos State Accident and Emergency Centre, Dr Adeolu Arogundade, revealed that over 41,000 trauma cases had been treated in 15 years with a mortality rate of just 1.4 per cent, crediting the success to the state’s free emergency care policy within the first 24 hours.

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Lagos State FRSC Sector Commander, Mr Kehinde Hamzat, described most crash-related deaths as avoidable, citing speeding, drunk driving, and traffic violations as major causes.

He said, “No matter how advanced our hospitals become, if we don’t change road behaviour, we’ll keep losing lives needlessly.”

At the end of the symposium, participants resolved to deepen collaboration among agencies, intensify public awareness, and promote behavioural change to reduce preventable road deaths in Lagos.