The government of Bayelsa has expressed its appreciation to the President of Nigeria, Senator Bola Tinubu, for appointing the state’s Commissioner for Health, Professor Seiyefa Brisibe, as the co-chairman of the National Emergency Medical Treatment Committee for the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System in Nigeria.
In a statement issued by the ministry in Yenagoa, Prof. Seiyefa was quoted as saying that the committee is made up of representatives of all doctors, CMDs, nurses, fire service, police, and road safety across the country who have promised to live up to the expectation.
He said; “We are charged with the responsibility of setting up and running an efficient and responsive emergency medical system in the country. When people have accidents and are taken up to the hospital, how they can be treated freely, and how patients can be transported in a way that is safety so that we do not have complications?
“There are several cases where we have the outcome of emergency cases depends largely on transportation, and of course transportation itself for emergency cases affect access, affect outcome and affects uptake. Therefore the committee is also charged with ensuring that that access route for vulnerable patients are also sorted out.”
“He also thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Professor Ali Pate for deeming him fit to be the co-chairman of the committee, while thanking Governor Douye Diri for giving his nod to the appointment, adding that it also shows his ability to get sound persons to be the in his executive and has been recognized for this very epic position.”
While inaugurating committee, Prof. Pate explained that Nigeria accounts for a staggering one in every four global maternal deaths, adding that the harrowing statistic implies that a pregnant woman in Nigeria faces a 1 in 21 chance of succumbing to pregnancy and childbirth-related complications, contrasting sharply with the global average of 1 in 190 by the World Health Organisation, 2020.
According to him, the Federal Government through the National Health Act of 2014 prescribed the formation of the National Emergency Medical Treatment Committee (NEMTC) endorsed by the 61st National Council on Health (NCH) in June 2018 as the statutory body tasked with the administration of the BHCPF for Emergency Medical Treatment.
He said that “the lack of comprehensive emergency services contributes substantially to crude mortality rate but most especially maternal and child mortality rates which remain unacceptably high in Nigeria.
“Timely, appropriate, effective, and efficient emergency medical responses can reduce these abysmal statistics. it is an essential element in achieving universal health coverage by responding to a range of acute conditions in children and adults, including injuries, infections, acute exacerbations of non-communicable diseases, and complications of pregnancy.
“It is estimated that every year, we have about 7 million pregnancies with an estimated 9% developing complications mostly in the rural areas. Thus the provision of adequate pre-hospital and in-hospital emergency care and referral systems between Basic Emergency Obstetric and New Born (BEMONC) and CEMONC health facilities as well as ensures financial risk protection for pregnant women in rural settings where a majority of maternal mortalities are recorded can help reduce our poor indices and improve health outcomes.
“It is on this premise that the Federal Government through the National Health Act of 2014 prescribed the formation of the National Emergency Medical Treatment Committee (NEMTC) endorsed by the 61st National Council on Health (NCH) in June 2018 as the statutory body tasked with the administration 5% of the BHCPF for Emergency Medical Treatment, this function is implemented through the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System (NEMSAS) programme.
“In October 2022, NEMSAS was commissioned for operations commencing in the FCT as part of the ongoing efforts of the Federal Government (through the Federal Ministry of Health). The program, being the first of its kind, is expected to be scaled in the 36 states of the federation.
“This administration under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR has streamlined the focus of NEMTC through NEMSAS by prioritizing emergency services for rural dwellers through a Rural Emergency Service and Maternal Transport (RESMAT) which is a sub-set of NEMSAS.
RESMAT shall address the critical gaps in emergency healthcare services in low-economic settings.
“By enhancing transportation infrastructure through private and public ambulance service providers to ensure timely access to these emergency services for rural dwellers, also serve to mitigate financial constraints experienced by pregnant women in low economic setting during instances of obstetric emergencies likewise providing transportation for these women at the times for delivery.”
