The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, has condemned the growing culture of filming accident scenes instead of assisting victims, calling it a tragic habit that costs lives daily on Lagos roads.
Speaking during a stakeholders’ symposium marking the 2025 World Trauma Day, Abayomi—represented by the Director of Medical Services, Dr Olawale Adegbite—lamented that bystanders often obstruct emergency responders with their phones while victims bleed out.
“Every time we block an ambulance or ignore an emergency call, someone’s parent, spouse, or child could be dying. Trauma care begins with public responsibility,” he said.
Abayomi urged Lagosians to respect ambulances and stop filming accident scenes, noting that trauma care is “a collective moral and civic responsibility.”
He reaffirmed the state’s commitment to strengthening its pre-hospital and trauma response system, stressing that most road trauma cases in Lagos are preventable and caused by human error.
The Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), he said, has improved survival rates for victims compared to those taken to hospitals by untrained bystanders.
Efforts to Strengthen Emergency Care
Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Health, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi—represented by Dr Oluwatoni Adeyemi—highlighted new initiatives, including ten emergency ambulance bikes and modular high-dependency units at Ifako and Mushin General Hospitals.
“These interventions bring critical care closer to communities and reduce delays in life-saving interventions,” she said.
Permanent Secretary of the Health Ministry, Dr Olusegun Ogboye, shared the story of Mr Andrew, a trauma survivor saved on his daughter’s wedding day through coordinated emergency response.
He added that Lagos is expanding trauma centres in Epe, Eti-Osa, and Badagry in partnership with Custodian Allied Insurance and Access Bank.
“You move aside for convoys and security vehicles, yet block ambulances carrying lives. That behaviour must change. It could be your loved one in that ambulance,” Ogboye warned.
Lives Behind the Numbers
Medical Director of the Lagos State Accident and Emergency Centre (LASAEC), Dr Adeolu Arogundade, revealed that the centre had treated 41,000 trauma cases in 15 years with a mortality rate of just 1.4%.
“Behind every statistic is a human story. Each percentage represents someone’s father, mother, or friend who lived because a system worked,” he said.
FRSC Lagos Sector Commander, Kehinde Hamzat, cited WHO data showing Africa bears a disproportionate share of the world’s 1.3 million annual road traffic deaths.
“No matter how advanced our hospitals become, if we don’t change road behaviour, we’ll keep losing lives needlessly,” he warned.
The symposium ended with a pledge to intensify public education, inter-agency collaboration, and behavioural change campaigns.
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