The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Ministry of Health and other relevant Ministries to equip medical ambulances at every 15 km point on every major highway, and every 35 km point on all minor highways in the country.
The resolution of the House was sequel to the adoption of a motion moved by Hon. Olamijuwonlo Alao-Akala at the plenary on Tuesday.
The House also called on the federal government to train and deploy First Responders to all major highways in Nigeria.
This, it said, would help stabilise victims of road accidents before handing them over to the nearest healthcare institutions for further attention.
Moving the motion, the lawmaker said a first responder is a person with specialized training, who is amongst the first to arrive and provide assistance, pre-hospital care or incident resolution at the scene of an emergency to victims of an accident until they are handed over or delivered to a hospital.
Akala explained that first responders typically include law enforcement officers (in the instant case, commonly known as Federal Road Safety, Nigeria Police Force), paramedics, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians.
The lawmaker recalled that one of the primary responsibilities of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) is to make sure that Nigerian highways are safe for motorists and other road users.
Akala added that Section 8(c) of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) Act gives FERMA the responsibility of planning and managing the development and implementation of road safety standards.
He expressed concerned that innocent lives and dreams have been cut short on Nigeria highways, mostly as a result of the absence of or slow medical response to road accident victims.
The lawmaker said in some jurisdictions, such as the United States of America, emergency department personnel, such as doctors and nurses, are also required to respond to disasters and critical situations, designating them first responders.
The House urged, “the federal government to train and deploy first responders to all major highways in Nigeria to help stabilise victims of road accidents before handing them over to the nearest healthcare institutions for further attention.
It also urged the federal government to provide a toll-free line dedicated to the use of highways.