Prioritise treatment of accident victims, stop rejection, FRSC begs hospitals

The Federal Road Safety Corps has appealed to hospitals to prioritise the treatment of road crash victims and not reject them when brought in for emergency care.

The Sector Commander of the FRSC in Plateau State, Olajide Mogaji, on Wednesday appealed during the agency’s Customer Service Week event held at its headquarters in Jos, the state capital.

According to Mogaji, the FRSC is aware of complaints that some hospitals refuse to treat crash victims — an act that contravenes the law.

“We are aware of complaints of some hospitals not accepting to treat crash victims when they are brought in. This is wrong. The government’s position is that they should be treated before anything else.
But here in Plateau State, we don’t have such cases because many hospitals have been helping to treat crash victims whenever they are brought in,” Mogaji said.

He emphasised that there are penalties for any hospital found violating this directive and urged medical institutions to always give priority to emergency cases involving crash victims.

“We want to use this opportunity to plead with hospitals to always accord priority to such emergency situations involving crash victims and not reject them, in order to save their lives,” he said.

Mogaji also highlighted challenges faced by the Corps in carrying out rescue operations, including the need for personnel to be armed for self-protection.

We are clamouring for the public to support us to be able to carry arms because when you are going for rescue operations, sometimes it is very dangerous,” he said.

He noted that the FRSC is already preparing for increased traffic during the “ember” months and is working to reduce the rate of road crashes.

“Some of the things that can help us achieve this objective is when we observe and obey road traffic regulations. Things like overloading, overspeeding, dangerous driving, and other infractions should be avoided at all costs,” he added.

The Zonal Commanding Officer of the FRSC, represented by Corps Commander Elizabeth Ameh, delivered the goodwill message of the Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed. She emphasised the importance of collaboration between the agency and the public in promoting road safety and reducing accidents on Nigerian roads.

Our correspondent reports that the Customer Service Week was attended by various stakeholders and featured award presentations to deserving partners, including Jay 101.9 FM and Plateau Radio Television Corporation, in recognition of their contributions to road safety awareness in Plateau State.