‘How to prevent mass casualties in Nigeria’

Global Medical Horizon Center for Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine Education (CRÈME) in collaboration with government agencies and leading security, medical, occupational and environmental institutions are opening the doors to the knowledge and experience gained from international emergencies, first responders, managers and resuscitation skill workers to Nigeria. In today’s unpredictable environment, a wide variety of threats […]

Global Medical Horizon Center for Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine Education (CRÈME) in collaboration with government agencies and leading security, medical, occupational and environmental institutions are opening the doors to the knowledge and experience gained from international emergencies, first responders, managers and resuscitation skill workers to Nigeria.

In today’s unpredictable environment, a wide variety of threats expose the private and public sectors to new challenges.  Emergency managers, security staff, first responders, occupational/environmental hazard instructors/counselors – anyone taking part in emergency response may encounter unknown stressful situations, which requires rapid and accurate response.

The main objective of the workshop is to deepen participants’ theoretical and practical understanding of the issues involved in the management of mass casualty incident, occupational and environmental hazard; providing additional tools of thinking and engaging and energizing the people’s factor in crisis/disaster management.

Are you responding or exploiting the recent stampede during the president campaign to host this programme

No: in the last five years, over twenty-five groups comprising of Medical, Emergency/Disaster Management, Safety and Rescue experts from Nigeria have attended our capacity building programme at our training institution in Israel  on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Management, Mass Casualty Incident and Crowd Control Techniques.

The programme though quite useful and found to be beneficial to our national development has an enormous foreign exchange implication on our economy.  The enormity of the average cost of training a participant in Israel could be a constraint in raising an army of experts on Emergency Medicine and Disaster Management within a reasonable length of time.

Globally, emergency preparedness/disaster management, safety and security have become issues of great concern.  Every year, thousands of people around the world die from national and man-made disasters and millions more are hurt.  Apart from the human suffering, the financial damage caused by these catastrophes cannot be quantified.

The menace of environmental hazards and disaster cannot be over emphasized.  The development, social and environmental costs associated with these unsavory occurrences have been excessive while the trend is on the increase.  Natural and man-made disaster cannot be stopped; however, one way of controlling or managing the occurrences of these is to upgrade and strengthen the capacity of the responsible personnel on Emergency Preparedness and that of the critical mass as a whole.

Training, retraining and capacity building has been found to be highly effective in mitigating and combating incidents pertaining Mass Casualty Incident.

The programme was practical train the trainer course with capacity to train others on their return.  The idea was to create institutional linkages and exchange programme that will transit from training programmes to derivable projects, creating value chain in the economy of Emergency & Disaster Management and response reliability.

We where to work closely with the armed Forces, to support, energize and activate the 32 DRU’s within the operational zone/mandate of the Armed Forces Services – explore possibilities and potentials of helping and supporting the service with schools/center of paramedic, emergency trauma center, emergency nurse course, combact and tactical medicine using existing structure of the Armed Forces, their training centers and their hospital structure and system.

Nigeria Armed Forces possess the institutional transformation ability and human engineering to drive this.

Why do you say so?

They possess discipline, organized system and knowledge – three major factors for development and control.

So you made money

No. but it was not done for income generating.  They were also system disconnect at that time on what the purpose and intention of the programme were and benefits therein by some individuals, who set out to sabotage that noble course, out of ego, greed and debase intentions.

The training programme held, was very successful, the input, output, out-come was excellent.  Thereafter, we started promoting the implementation of the communiqué and subsequently, General O. A. Azazi retired and left as the CDS.

What did you do next?

We hosted another training programme with the Federal Capital Territory, where we supported their emergency training committee members with skills and knowledge on 30th April – 2nd May, 2009 – a programme that took place in Sheraton Hotel and Asokoro Hospital.  It was good and the deliveries were excellent.

How come you are involved in this sector?

A teach innovation policy, project development and strategy in healthcare sector including medical institution within select Israeli System, which has now transformed into Israeli Life Support Industry (ILSI).

Over 90% of healthcare industries are not medical personnel, starting from medical equipments, which are basically engineering, building, vehicle, energy. Also furniture, management and process.

Also Israeli Paramedic System is designed to save life not to acquire ego and certificate – we will use the module to generate over 200,000 work and employment in the coming months.

We have agreed on training and opening of center/schools of paramedic – we have signed for the manufacture of mobile and field hospital with relevant stakeholders – we have also signed to support and enhance ambulance and crisis intervention vehicles.  Also agreed to support some states, teaching hospitals and medical centers with linkage/exchange programme with Israeli Hospitals and System to support and enhance capacity and competence in healthcare sector.

The field/mobile hospital is a contract manufacturing line where a major auto industry and construction company has agreed to provide their structure, while we contribute know-how, skill and financial interface with National and International Investment and Funding Widows to create a brand for Nigeria in those areas which will help our Armed Forces, Rural Medical centers and generate culture of Field Hospital in crowd control.

We have also initiated over Four Billion Naira revolving health promotional, project and programmes that will support emergency health sectors with needed and necessary products, profile in 36 states of Nigeria under facilitating over view of a Nigeria bank, which will see these aspect of economy emerging a major SME force.