M&DAMEP Sensitizes Nigerians on Medical Emergency Preparedness in Kaduna

By Frederick Peters, KADUNA

NEWSDAILYNIGERIA: The Michael and David Alao Memorial Emergency Preparedness (M&DAMEP) has on Saturday embarked on a sensitization awareness campaign for Nigerians on the need for preparedness when medical emergencies arise.

The NGO is a foundation established in honour of two late brothers who died without receiving medical attention or CPR when they experienced emergency situations.

In a paper titled “Proposal for the Establishment of Michael & David Memorial Emergency Preparedness (M&DAMEP),” the group said, “The initiative for this NGO is dedicated to the memory of our late brothers, Bidemi Michael Alao and Dare David Alao, whose tragic deaths highlighted the urgent need for effective emergency response education in Nigeria.”

Adding that, “David Dare Alao fell victim to a tragic failed armed robbery. He was shot twice—once in the chest and once in the abdomen. With no trained medical personnel or first responders available for nearly an hour, the delay proved fatal. By the time he reached the hospital, it was too late, and he passed away before surgery could be performed.”

“In a similar heartbreaking incident, Michael Bidemi Alao suffered a heart attack while at a recreational club early in the morning. In a desperate attempt to help, a bystander poured cold water on him, inadvertently sending him into shock. Michael also lost his life before receiving proper medical attention.”

“These devastating losses highlight a critical and preventable gap in emergency response. Both lives might have been saved with timely and appropriate care,” it added.

Speaking further on the vision and mission, the Secretary of the NGO, Gideon Akintade Ogunjobi, said, “We want to bring knowledge and skills on how to respond to emergency cases, such as fire accidents and gunshots, among others, to the public so that when they happen, people will not panic but know the right things to do to help victims.”

He said that once the inaugural meeting is established, part of this phase is to create awareness through news media, social media, in schools, public and private institutions, and to collaborate with the government to spread the message. “Part of our vision is to stir the government to include training on how to attend to emergency cases in the education curriculum, just like we see in developed nations,” he said.

Similarly, another family member of the deceased (Michael & David), Alao Shola Joseph, maintained that the objective of the memorial foundation, basically, is to save lives via sensitization of Nigerians, preparing them for the unexpected. “We want people to be sensitized on preparedness for emergencies; anything can happen at any time, like cardiac arrest, which is a cessation of the heart. So what do you do when it happens? These are the things we are learning.”

Speaking further on the importance of knowledge, he said, “Like today, the doctors were able to show us practically how to administer CPR, and each participant performed CPR. Some of us didn’t know what CPR is, but today we were able to learn. So we thank God for the opportunity to learn this.”

He said, “We have a wide vision of reaching out to ensure that this education goes to people that don’t know about it. It will get to the time when we will begin to speak in Pidgin so that people will know that the thing we are doing is for everybody. Because if somebody slumps in an emergency in Nigeria, when somebody just slumps, the next thing people often do is bring water and pour it on him. But here we are learning that’s not the way to go about it; we are learning new ways to address that,” he stressed.

Earlier, the guest speaker/lecturer, a consultant Anaesthetist/Critical Care Physician and HOD, Department of Anesthesia, BDTH/KASU, Dr. (Sir) Aghadi Ifeanyi Kene, said his paper presentation delved more into cardiac arrest and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). “This thing we call cardiac arrest—the most important thing is to recognize it before it happens. Prevention is better than cure. You don’t have to wait until it happens before we take a decision,

“During the course of this lecture, we have enumerated a lot of causes and risk factors associated with sudden cardiac arrest, adding that, CPR is just Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. So, there are two basic things we do during CPR: one of them is chest compression, and the other one is ventilation or rescue breath. That is why what we are doing here is very important so that we can sustain life pending the arrival of the emergency medical team,” he reiterated.

He emphasized the need for prompt response to patients having a cardiac arrest crisis. “If we don’t do anything within 3-5 minutes of its onset, the patient becomes what we call a ‘vegetable’—that’s irreversible brain damage. That person will not come back to life no matter what we do thereafter,” he added.

Highlights of the sensitization and inaugural event included a health talk, free medical services/testing for participants, the distribution of health kits, and lots more.

The highpoints of the NGO’s activities include emergency care training workshops, community outreach, school programs, corporate training, resource development, volunteer programs, partnerships, online courses, interactive workshops, and a feedback mechanism, among others.