|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has praised the Health Emergency Initiative (HEI)’s ten years of lifesaving interventions and commitment to emergency health management.
The governor spoke HEI’s 10th anniversary celebration in Lagos, where he described the non-governmental organisation (NGO) as a model of compassion, accountability, and effective community service.
Sanwo-Olu, represented by Abimbola Mabogunje, the permanent secretary of the Lagos State Health Services Commission, lauded HEI for providing critical emergency support to vulnerable citizens and strengthening the country’s emergency response system.
He noted that in ten years, the NGO has assisted more than 50,000 people, including accident victims and indigent patients in 16 states, trained over 149,000 first responders, supported more than 8,000 malnourished children, and partnered with 95 hospitals nationwide.
Read also: Lagos, UNICEF launch e-birth registration as Sanwo-Olu vows 100% child registration by tenure’s end
The governor further highlighted the strategic partnership between Lagos State and HEI, especially the five-year state approval for first aid and CPR training in schools, and commended the group’s contribution during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also referenced the Microsoft global grant awarded to HEI, which contributed to improving infant survival rates to 82 percent, while pledging continued collaboration to strengthen emergency care and ensure that no Nigerian dies due to lack of timely medical help.
On her part, Kemi Ogunyemi, Special Adviser to the governor on Health, who was represented by Oluwatoyin Akinyemi, of the One Health Family, praised HEI for its decade-long impact in reducing avoidable deaths and supporting vulnerable patients.
She reaffirmed the state’s commitment to expanding partnerships and increasing community-driven emergency response nationwide.
Speaking also, Paschal Achunine, the executive director of HEI, said the organisation was established to close critical gaps in emergency healthcare, particularly for Nigerians unable to afford urgent medical treatment.
With more than 133 million Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty, Achunine said, too many lives are lost over small but urgent hospital bills.
He outlined HEI’s four-point agenda: providing financial support for indigent patients, training first responders, acting as next-of-kin for road accident and disaster victims, and combating malnutrition among children aged 0 to 5
According to him, more than 147,500 first responders, including police officers, firefighters, commercial drivers, and students, have been trained to act promptly at accident scenes rather than record victims with their phones.
He also announced that it has impacted over 35,700 patients and supported more than 56,800 emergency victims nationwide, working with over 85 hospitals across the country.
Achunine highlighted progress in tackling child malnutrition, revealing that more than 8,200 children have benefited from HEI’s nutrition intervention programmes.
Speaking earlier at the event which also featured awards to organisations that have supported the NGO, since its inception in 2015, including media houses, Emmanuel Imafidon, HEI Board chairman, unveiled the organisation’s 2026–2031 strategic vision, which includes expanding operations to all 36 states, increasing partner hospitals to 1,000, and training 750,000 more first responders, and supporting 50,000 malnourished children in what is estimated will cost HEI over N500 million later.
Imafidon described the launch of the new Malnutrition Alleviation Fund as a major step in tackling one of Nigeria’s most urgent child-health challenges.
The 10th anniversary celebration featured a panel session, awards presentation, and testimonials from beneficiaries, drawing healthcare workers, students, government officials, and partners who gathered to honour HEI’s decade of lifesaving service.
