Leading commercial bank, Sterling Bank PLC, has entered into partnership with Health Emergency Initiative (HEI), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), to provide emergency medical assistance to accident victims and patients in emergency wards in public health institutions.
Under the partnership, HEI trained two cohorts of emergency medical responders to reduce fatalities and permanent disabilities caused by dearth of pre-hospital emergency care. Apart from bridging the first responder gap, the NGO is working tirelessly to close identified skill gaps among emergency workers while also assisting destitute patients in public hospitals with treatment not exceeding N20,000.
The Divisional Head, Education & Health Sectors, Sterling Bank PLC, Mr. Obinna Ukachukwu, disclosed this at a press conference in Lagos recently, that the bank decided to partner with HEI as part of its commitment to improve quality of lives of the Nigerian people through its Health, Education, Agriculture, Renewable Energy and Transportation (HEART) strategy. He explained that the Bank is focusing investments on five sectors of the economy a bid to make impact, adding that Sterling Bank believes strongly in responsible business practices.
Ukachukwu hinted that the Bank had facilitated training for certain stakeholders including members of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on issues relating to timely response to accident victims, adding that the collaboration also aims to develop creative methods by which more members of the public would play a supportive role in getting accident victims to hospitals for treatment instead of taking photographs/videos for use on social media.
He added that the Bank looks forward to a situation whereby members of the public, officers of the Nigeria Police, Lagos State Emergency Ambulance Services (LASAMBUS), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) or and other stakeholders would get accident victims to hospital for treatment without bothering about funding for the treatment. The divisional head noted that how people react to accident victims could determine whether they suffer permanent disability or die. Also speaking, the Executive Director, HEI, Mr. Pascal Achunine, said the NGO is a community of compassionate people standing in the gap for vulnerable segment of the Nigerian society, in a bid to enable them obtains life-saving medical care in public hospitals. “The mission is to provide emergency medical assistance and care to indigents in public hospitals.”
The executive director added that the NGO also “advocates and provides funds for post-crash care in a bid to enhance emergency treatment of road traffic accident victims by standing in as the next-of-kin to provide funds for resuscitation and stabilisation of the accident victims in a timely manner.”