How Lagos Ambulance Travelled 24Km To Rescue His Baby

• Is Lagos State for Everybody or Only a Selected Few?

Around 3:20 a.m. last night, our 7-month-old baby girl started crying with a very high fever. She had been running a temperature for the past two days, but it became worse during the night. When I checked with the thermometer, her temperature had risen to 38.5°C.

My wife and I were worried. It was raining heavily, and without a car, we didn’t know how we would get her to the hospital.

We used a towel soaked in water to gently wipe her body and help reduce the fever while we waited for the rain to ease.

Then I remembered the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency-LASEMA number, 112. I called at about 4:07 a.m., hoping they could help. A lady answered and asked about the emergency. I explained that my 7-month-old baby had a high fever, it was raining heavily, and we couldn’t get to the hospital. She could hear my baby crying in the background.

I asked if they could send an ambulance. She immediately took my address and a nearby landmark.

At about 4:27 a.m., I received another call from the Lagos Emergency Response Call Centre. The officer informed me that an ambulance had already been dispatched. He asked how the team could locate my house because it was still dark and there might not be anyone outside to direct them. I asked if I could send my live location, but he explained that he was calling from the control centre and was not with the ambulance team.

By 5:07 a.m., the rain had stopped. I received another call informing me that the ambulance was waiting at Checkpoint Bus Stop. My wife, our baby, and I quickly took a motorcycle there, and to my surprise, the ambulance was already waiting for us.

The medical personnel welcomed us into the ambulance and asked about our baby’s condition. They asked which hospital we normally used. I mentioned the new Primary Health Centre at Ilepo, but explained that it does not operate 24 hours a day. They agreed and advised us that the best option was to take our baby to GeneralHospital Badagry where she could receive proper emergency care.

I believe the ambulance couldn’t reach our house because of the heavy rain and the poor condition of the Ibiye–Checkpoint–Magbon road to our street. This is another reason why that road needs urgent attention from the Lagos State Government and the local government. Good roads save lives during emergencies.

One thing that amazed me was that the ambulance came all the way from Badagry General Hospital about 24 kilometres to Checkpoint Bus Stop just to respond to our emergency. Wow. Honestly we are still shock. I only see this happen in developed countries.

For that, I sincerely commend the Lagos State Emergency Response Team. They proved that the emergency service is working and that lives truly matter.

The journey to the hospital was smooth. The Lagos–Badagry Expressway from Agbara Junction to Badagry is now a modern six-lane road with no potholes. Credit goes to former President Muhammadu Buhari for starting the project, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for continuing it, and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for ensuring the reconstruction around Badagry, including the road leading to the General Hospital. Good roads make emergency response faster and more effective.

At the hospital, we were asked to open a new patient file because records from the Primary Health Centre could not be accessed there. I believe Lagos State should work towards creating a unified electronic medical record system so that patients’ records can be accessed at any government hospital. I no there is existing smart card, we have that with our Lagos health insurance but had expired. I’ll renew it.

We paid ₦2,000 to open a new file. The doctor attended to our baby immediately and requested a Full Blood Count (FBC) test and a malaria test, which cost ₦8,000. We also bought the prescribed injections and medications from the hospital pharmacy for about ₦4,000.

If our insurance is still active the total we will pay is 1,400.

Apart from these, we paid nothing else. There were no consultation charges and no ambulance fee. That is taxpayers’ money working for the people. God bless people that paying their tax oo. You’re saving lives.

I saw a lot Work going in the hospital. Omo Badagry hospital is very neat oo.

My Appeal

– Please construct the Ibiye–Checkpoint–Magbon road.

– Employ more doctors at Badagry General Hospital.

– Continue improving service delivery in our government hospitals. The staff are trying, but more can still be done.

– Make the Primary Health Centre at Ilepo operate 24 hours a day to handle emergencies.

– Please improve electricity supply in our community, which has been poor since January.

Finally, I appreciate the ongoing development in Badagry, the road projects, the rehabilitation of the roundabout, and other infrastructure upgrades. These projects are making a difference. I hope to see even more public infrastructure that will improve healthcare, economic growth, and the quality of life for everyone.

Thank you, Lagos State Emergency Response Team, and thank you to everyone who works every day to save lives. Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, FCA I saw ambulance you donated to Badagry General Hospital. they put into use and they’re saving lives. Thank you so much

Truly Lagos is working for all.