Port Health calls for medical emergency initiative at airports

The Director, Port Health Service, Dr Morenike Alex-Okoh, has called for an immediate Airport Medical Emergency Network Initiative (AMEN-i) to address the gaps associated with emergency case at the airports nationwide.

Speaking at a Safety Week 2015 programme organised by Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited (SAHCOL) in Lagos recently, She said the move was to minimise the threat of sudden collapse of passengers at the airports.

Alex-Okoh disclosed that 20 persons with cases of epilepsy at the Lagos Airport between January 2015 till date, have so far recorded. She said such cases would have been averted if those victims had embarked on regularly medical checkup before embarking on their trip.

She however urged government agencies at the airport to also sensitise and train airport workers on safety intervention, especially on how to First Aid Box. She said First Aid could be performed by any layperson, adding that, the assessment and intervention could also be carried out by a bystander with minimal or no medical equipment.

The medical personnel said the key aim of any First Aid was to preserve a life, prevent further injury and promote the victim’s recovery. “However, First Aid does not aim to substitute definite medical care but it must not be delayed, hinder or prevent access to definite care.

“The overriding goal is to save lives,” she said. Alex-Okoh said that it was important for the public to understand the basic principles of providing help for the victims.

She dispelled the rumour that there was rivalry between the personnel of Port Health Service and the personnel of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) medical service. Meanwhile, the Asst Commissioner of Police, Operation, Airport Police Command, Mr Chuck Enwonwu, emphasised the importance of training of airport workers on Safety of Lives for increase victims’s survival at the airport.

He advised Nigerians to be safety cautious by checking the status of their health regularly. His words: “Before engaging in any exercise, it is important to visit your doctor for proper medical checkup”. He said that Nigerians should be security conscious in their places of work and also at home.