Infant
By Aderonke Ojediran
A Lagos resident, Mr Muhammad Armayau, has praised the state’s emergency response agencies for rescuing his seven-month-old daughter during a medical emergency in Badagry.
Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
He said that the resident praised the prompt response of the Lagos State Emergency Response Team after his daughter fell ill.
According to Omotoso, Armayau said the baby developed high fever for two days but heavy rainfall and absence of means of transport prevented the family from taking her to a hospital.
He said the family contacted Lagos State Government’s toll-free emergency line, 112, and received an immediate response from an emergency response officer.
According to Omotoso, the officer requested for the family’s address and a nearby landmark.
He said that 20 minutes later, the officer at the Lagos Emergency Response Call Centre o called back to confirm that an ambulance had been dispatched to the area.
According to him, another call informed the family that the ambulance was waiting at the nearby Checkpoint Bus Stop, prompting the family to ride a motorcycle to the location.
He said the ambulance crew assessed the baby’s condition and conveyed her to the General Hospital, Badagry, after explaining that the nearby Ilepo Primary Health Centre did not provide 24-hour service.
The commissioner quoted Armayau as saying that the ambulance could not access his residence because the Ibiye-Checkpoint-Magbon Road had become impassable following the heavy rainfall.
He described the emergency response as remarkable, noting that the ambulance travelled about 24km from the General Hospital, Badagry, to attend to the family.
The official said the baby received immediate medical attention at the hospital and her father paid N2,000 to open a patient file, N8,000 for laboratory tests and about N4,000 for prescribed medication.
He added that if the family’s Lagos State Health Insurance coverage had remained active, the total cost of the treatment would have been only N1,400.
He said that there were no consultation or ambulance charges.
Omotoso quoted the baby’s father as saying that the hospital was clean and that the commitment and professionalism of the healthcare workers were commendable. (NAN)
