3,500 accident victims get free treatment in Lagos — NGO

No fewer than 3,500 road accident victims and indigent patients benefited from the Health Emergency Initiative at various public hospitals in Lagos State.
Pashal Achunine, Executive Director of HEI, a free health care initiative, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday.
Achunine said HEI is an NGO established to provide succor to accident victims, indigent and vulnerable patients at public hospitals.
He said: “HEI has established itself as one of the leading organisations that is responding to the health needs of low income communities, indigent patients, sick people and persons in vulnerable situations occasioned by road accident.
“It is a social intervention programme, and its positive impact on the vulnerable segment of the society began to elicit the support of individuals and corporate organisations.
“This came after it carried out rigorous due diligence on the succor the organisation activities have brought to many, especially the poorest segment of the society.”
According to him, part of the strategy taken by the organisation in 2018 was to put in place international standards of reporting, accounting and auditing system.
He said: “The strict adherence to tenets of corporate governance, engender confidence in our systems and operations.”
The director said that the initiative of “None Should Die’’ inaugurated in September 2017, was a unique one aimed at ensuring critically injured road accident victims were stabilised and resuscitated at selected public hospitals.
Achunine said that the HEI is assisting road accident victims financially within 24 hours, thereby reducing fatalities occasioned by such accidents.
He said that more than 160 beneficiaries were on hand testifying on the uncommon impact of HEI interventions in their lives.
The director said that the organisation has made a difference in lives of patients in more than 22 public health institutions in Lagos and Oyo States.
According to him, the NGO has specifically and strategically partnered with key government institutions, including the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and Lagos State Ambulance Service.
Achunine said: “The institutions also include National Orthopaedic Hosital Igbobi, and other key public hospitals.”
NAN reports that LASAMBUS had lauded the “None Should Die’’ programme, launched by HEI to ensure that many critically injured accident victims received early phase emergency care.
The Director LASAMBUS, Kola Korolo, gave the commendation on Oct. 6, during a walk in Ikeja by HEI to create awareness among the public on ‘None Should Die’ programme for accident victims.
Korolo said that such emergency care would curb the number of deaths recorded on the roads as result of accidents.
He said that hospital care would resuscitate and stabilise accident victims before the arrival of their family members.
He said: “The HEI programme is quite commendable. We have 25 ambulance points in Lagos State. What we do is purely emergency care.
“And seven out of 10 people we pick are indigent persons, for HEI to give succor to accident victims in an emergency is a noble gesture and our relationship with the organisation has been fruitful in saving lives.”