Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Olabode Ladipo, says the state government is committed to concerns on public health and response to emergencies in the state.
Ladipo made the assertions at the closing of a-three-day June Edition on Youths Empowerment Project on Public Health-related Skills” in Ibadan on Friday.
The programme was organised by Shining Stars Global Impact Foundation a.k.a Shining Stars Initiative International (SSII), in conjunction with the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Oyo State Branch.
The commissioner was represented by Dr Gbolahan Abbas of Research and Statistics Department and Mr Taiwo Ajiboye, the Director of Nursing, Oyo State Ministry of Health.
Ladipo said the ministry was delighted to be part of any efforts geared at reducing emergencies in the state.
“Everything that has to do with public health, particularly emergencies, is of concern to the state Ministry of Health. We appreciate the Red Cross and SSII for partnering for the good of Oyo State.
“In an emergency, response time is crucial, especially between the time interval the emergency occurred and getting response.
“Since the inception of the administration of Gov. Seyi Makinde, the state had procured 10 ambulances and there were donations of ambulances from individuals and corporate organisations.
“We have also trained our people on how to respond to emergencies, particularly CPR.
“The problem in our society is lack of basic skills on emergency response, which has led to the death of many,” Ladipo said.
He enjoined participants to make use of the knowledge gained from the training to be of help to victims in emergency situations.
“In our environment, you see people taking pictures and videos of victims in an emergency situation and posting them on social media instead of helping to get them to safety.”
Also, Mr Olaleye Ojo, the Branch Secretary, Nigerian Red Cross Society, Oyo State, said having first aid taught in schools would be a great step in ensuring that Nigerians have the right skills to help in a case of emergency.
“There is need to increase first aid knowledge among the populace; so, we are calling on organisations and well meaning Nigerians to emulate SSII in training more Nigerians on First Aid.
“We have over two thousand volunteers that had been trained on First Aid, but we lacked the equipment to carry out most of our activities.
“In the whole state, we don’t have a serviceable ambulance that can be used for emergency responses.
“We are calling for the support of people and the government to provide us with equipment and materials needed for First Aid response to upscale our impact,” Ojo said.
Also, Mr Bolarinwa Kamarudeen, the state Branch Training Officer, Red Cross and a Facilitator, said the essence of the training was to equip more people with the knowledge of emergency response to save more lives.
Earlier, Mrs Omokehinde Deji-Akinpelu, the Executive Director SSII, urged participants to look for ways to apply their knowledge to solve the problems in the society.
Deji-Akinpelu said: “So, think of how to solve a problem; how to add value to the society and people around you.
“And, when you do that the sky is not even a limit to the endless possibilities you can create to make Nigeria and the world a better place.
“Those at the echelon of their careers or professions, who have created wealth for their generations to come, are those who solve problems of their environment and give back to their society.’’(NAN)