Pre-hospital care of road traffic accident victims in the Niger Delta: a private initiative and experience

This is a review of pre-hospital care of road traffic accident (RTA) victims in the Niger Delta covering the highway linking Benin to Warri in Delta State, Nigeria, from January to December (2017). The non-availability of these services in the South South Nigeria prompted this initiative. Ambulance services with technicians and doctors attended the patients when accidents occurred. This was done in collaboration with the Nigeria Red Cross, Police, Army, and Road safety patrol teams. The information from the patrol team through dedicated lines initiated the emergency response. Response time was an average of 10-30 minutes. A major benefit of this initiative is early commencement of resuscitation and prevention of secondary injuries. A total of 70 RTA victims were salvaged from the accident scene by the Red Cross Society in 2017. A total of 29 RTA patients were salvaged through this initiative in 2017, in Delta State, Nigeria. The main challenges of this effort were delayed communication, insufficient ambulance manpower, and limited funding. Government involvement in public enlightenment, training paramedics, and provision of ambulance services to reduce deaths on our highways is needed.