Rhodes-Vivour promises ambulances for every Lagos ward by 2027

The Lagos State governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has a bold plan. He wants to set up emergency response centres in every ward. Each centre will have two ambulances. This is part of his goal to improve healthcare in Lagos.

Rhodes-Vivour said these centres will be linked to a data system. This system will help emergency teams find hospitals with available beds and the right equipment to treat patients before transporting them.

He shared these plans on Friday at the BusinessDay Policy Intervention Series Town Hall with the Organised Private Sector. This event was a chance for him to present his healthcare ideas ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

The former Labour Party candidate highlighted a common problem. Patients often get moved between hospitals while looking for available beds. This can cause dangerous delays that might cost lives.

"Our focus is first to ensure that we have emergency response services in every ward with two ambulances tagged to that particular emergency response centre," he stated.

Rhodes-Vivour explained that the centres will use data to manage emergency transfers. This means patients will go to the right medical facilities after they receive initial care.

"So we are not going to have situations where people will leave that place and be looking for beds or where to go. A lot of people die that way," he said.

He added, "From there, they’re going to call to make sure that there’s a hospital with everything that’s needed after that person has been stabilised to go there."

Besides emergency services, Rhodes-Vivour also talked about preventive healthcare. He believes that making routine medical check-ups and community health programs more available will lighten the load on public hospitals. This will also lower the long-term costs of treating chronic illnesses.

He suggested expanding micro health insurance schemes. This will help protect low-income earners from the financial strain of medical emergencies.

According to him, focusing on public health and early intervention will boost workforce productivity. It will also cut down government spending on healthcare.