Stop Filming Accident Victims, Save Lives First – Lagos Health Commissioner Warns Onlookers
Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, has raised concerns over the increasing number of preventable deaths on Lagos roads, blaming bystanders who record accident scenes instead of helping the victims.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ symposium in Lagos to mark the 2025 World Trauma Day, Abayomi, represented by the Director of Medical Services, Dr Olawale Adegbite, lamented that “onlookers often obstruct emergency operations with their phones while lives are slipping away.”
“Every time we block an ambulance or ignore an emergency call, someone’s parent, spouse, or child could be dying. Trauma care begins with public responsibility,” he said.
Abayomi urged Lagosians to respect ambulances and prioritise life-saving interventions over videos.
He stressed that trauma care was not solely the government’s duty but a “collective moral and civic responsibility.”
The commissioner reiterated the state government’s commitment to strengthening pre-hospital and trauma response mechanisms, noting that “most trauma cases on Lagos roads are preventable incidents caused by human error.”
He added that the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) had significantly improved survival rates for accident victims compared to those transported by untrained bystanders.
In her remarks, Special Adviser to Governor, Babajide Sanwoolu on Health, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, represented by Dr Oluwatoni Adeyemi, highlighted recent government interventions, including the launch of ten emergency ambulance bikes and the commissioning of modular high-dependency units in Ifako and Mushin General Hospitals.
“These interventions are part of our drive to bring critical care closer to communities and reduce delays in life-saving interventions,” she said.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye, shared the story of Mr Andrew, a trauma survivor saved on the morning of his daughter’s wedding through coordinated emergency response.
“Pre-hospital care is a crucial but often neglected component of healthcare. Lagos is expanding trauma centres in Epe, Eti-Osa and Badagry with private partners like Custodian Allied Insurance and Access Bank,” Ogboye said.
He warned motorists: “You move aside for convoys and security vehicles, yet block ambulances carrying lives. That behaviour must change. It could be your loved one in that ambulance.”
Medical Director of LASAEC, Dr Adeolu Arogundade, revealed that the centre had successfully treated 41,000 trauma cases in 15 years, with a mortality rate of just 1.4 per cent.
“Behind every statistic is a human story. Each percentage represents someone’s father, mother, or friend who lived because a system worked,” the PUNCH quoted Arogundade saying.
On his part, FRSC Lagos Sector Commander, Kehinde Hamzat, stressed that most crash-related deaths were avoidable, citing WHO data that Africa bears a disproportionate share of the 1.3 million global road traffic deaths annually.
“No matter how advanced our hospitals become, if we don’t change road behaviour, we’ll keep losing lives needlessly,” Hamzat warned.
The symposium ended with a resolution to intensify public sensitisation, inter-agency collaboration, and campaigns for behavioural change.