By Bunmi Yekini
Nigeria’s Health Writers Association (HEWAN) on Tuesday called on the federal government to urgently strengthen emergency response systems on the country’s highways, saying weak or delayed rescue efforts are worsening the toll from road traffic crashes.
The group spoke after a deadly accident along the Ibadan Expressway on Monday that involved friends of British-Nigerian two-time unified world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua. Several people sustained severe injuries, while others were killed.
In a statement, HEWAN said many road crash victims die not only because of the impact of accidents but because they fail to receive timely rescue, pre-hospital care and definitive medical treatment.
“Functional highway ambulance services are no longer optional but essential,” the association said, adding that many lives lost on Nigerian roads could be saved with faster access to emergency care.
HEWAN urged the federal government to establish well-equipped ambulance points on major highways, particularly accident-prone routes, staffed by trained personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). It also called for the training and deployment of first responders to stabilise victims before evacuation to hospitals.
Road traffic crashes remain a major public health challenge in Nigeria, claiming thousands of lives annually. Health advocates say fatalities often rise because emergency intervention is delayed or entirely absent.
The association said state governments also have a critical role to play, urging the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to coordinate investments in ambulance services, trauma response units, toll-free emergency numbers and trained responders across states.
“A harmonised approach would ensure that accident victims receive prompt medical attention regardless of the state in which a crash occurs,” HEWAN said.
The group described improved highway emergency care as a cost-effective public health intervention that could reduce deaths, long-term disability and pressure on families and the healthcare system.
HEWAN also raised concerns about broader systemic challenges in the health sector, calling on the government to resolve a prolonged health workers’ strike, which it said continues to undermine emergency care and overall service delivery.
“As health journalists committed to public wellbeing, saving lives after road traffic crashes must be treated as a public health priority,” the statement said, urging authorities to act decisively to improve emergency response when “lives hang in the balance.”