Osun Ambulance Services Saved 12, 171 Lives Within Four Years- GM

By Ayobami Agboola, Osogbo

Osun Government on Thursday said 12, 171 accident victims had been rescued by the operations of the state emergency ambulance service, know as O’Ambulance, in the four years establishment of the service.

Dr Akinloye Adeleke Olusoji, the General Manager, Osun Ambulance Service Agency,  gave the statistics of those rescued as 12, 171 with 7700 being males and 4367 being females.

Olusoji also added that about seven to eight pregnant women also gave birth inside the ambulance while being conveyed to the hospitals.

He explained that the emergency service agency, which was launched on February 4, 2013, is saddled with the responsibility of taking care of medically challenged elders.

He said other roles of the agency includes; reduction of deaths along the high ways by rapid response and prompt rescue of accident victims, good referral system of transferring  patients from primary to tertiary health facilities for specialist intervention.

He noted that for effective service delivery, 49 high tech ambulances were procured by the state government and to this effects, Osun Ambulance service agency has the highest number of ambulances in the emergency ambulance service in the country.

The GM further noted that 19 of these ambulances, were allocated to strategic points along the major high ways, while the remaining 30 ambulances were designated to the local government headquarters, one per each local government.

“Our ambulances are furnished with walkie talkie also CUG (Close user group) phone, this serve as deal means of communication of the agency staff.

“The call tracker personnel at the control centre receive all calls from our clients through our two hotlines, 07080601212 and 07080601313 and call the ambulance that are at the closest distance to the scene of accident or where our services are needed.

Speaking on the total number of the staff working in the agency, Dr Olusoji said 400 paramedics were trained to man the ambulances, render a emergency medical services to patients and road traffic crash victims before transferring them to the nearest health facilities.

He further said that four call tracker personnel were also trained to receive calls, identify the location of the calls and send the closest ambulances to the scene of the incident or where there services are needed.

“Osun Ambulance render 24 hours free service to the people of Osun State without political or religious affiliations.

Dr Olusoji said that the agency in a bid to make its service more effective recently built eight ultramodern Ambulance ports.

Appreciating other paramilitary agencies for their support in the course of service delivery, the O’Ambalancs MD said that Federal Road Safety Commission FRSC, has been a good partner in their paramedics in defensive driving techniques.

Also collaboration with the agency, according to Dr Olusoji are Osun State Emergency Managements Agency (OSEMA)  and other security agents always provide security for their ambulances and paramedics.

He noted that the establishment of the O’Ambalancs has created employment opportunity for the teeming youths in the state.

He therefore, commended Governor Rauf Aregbesola for introducing and finding the service which he said has saved many lives in the state.