As part of efforts to activate the State Emergency Medical Services and ambulance system, Ebonyi state government has distributed 15 ambulances to all general hospitals and 171 oxygen cylinders to all the Primary Health Centres in the state.
Speaking while flagging off the system in Abakaliki, Commissioner for Health, Dr Moses Ekuma, described it as another milestone in the state health sector and that the essence of procuring those equipment is to help revive patients at the verge of death.
He noted that the ministry has tackled the challanges of manpower, basic medical equipment, establishment of an agency to provide drugs for their general hospitals and Primary Health Centres including the issue of health insurance where many has been enrolled by government.
Ekuma said emergency goes with oxygen, reiterating that one thing that lead to death is majorly respiratory failure and that they have three oxygen producing plants one in each zone which makes it easy for the cylinders to be filled.
The Commissioner said with the emergency medical service fully activated and flagged off, maternal mortality rate and all the presentable death in the state will not only be reduced to the barrest minimum but fully eliminated and urged the doctors to use the opportunity to help the patients.
On his part, the Coordinator, Ebonyi state Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance system, Dr Mrs Eugene Aba Chinwendu Precious explained that the 16 ambulances are for the general hospitals and d general emergency team while 171 oxygen cylinders are for the PHCs and another 15 for the general hospitals.
Dr Precious said that the official flag off of the State emergency medical service and ambulance system will curtail maternal mortality and under five mortality, cover road traffic accident, snake bite among others.
She disclosed that a patients has a number to call during emergency situation and ambulance will be mobilized to rush and pick the patient to a facility depending on the severity of the problem.
The Coordinator disclosed that the patients will be given free treatment within 48 hours after which they would be expected to pay after being resuscitated.
The highlight of the event was the distribution of the oxygen cylinders and ambulances to the Primary Health Centres and general hospitals.
