Beyond Toluwanisings’ Death: The Need For Improved Emergency Medical Services In Nigeria

The untimely death of one of Nigeria’s talented and popular gospel singers, Olayemi Bolaji, popularly known as Toluwanisings, has once again brought to the fore the need for governments at all levels to pay greater attention to improving emergency medical services in the country.

Reports indicated that after Toluwanisings collapsed, several hospitals in Ibadan, Oyo State, including the University College Hospital (UCH), were unable to provide him with the emergency treatment he reportedly needed.

The talented singer had collapsed and required urgent medical attention. However, reports surrounding his final moments have raised troubling questions about the accessibility and effectiveness of emergency healthcare services in Nigeria.

Sadly, Toluwanisings is not the only Nigerian whose death has drawn attention to the challenges confronting the country’s healthcare system.

UCH, which many would consider a major referral centre capable of providing specialised medical care, was reportedly facing its own local operational challenges when the ailing musician was taken there. According to statements attributed to the hospital’s Public Relations Officer, Funmilayo Enitan, in several media reports during the week, resident doctors represented by the relevant doctors’ association were on strike. The industrial action was reportedly among the factors affecting the hospital’s ability to attend to patients on that particular day.

But then, did Toluwanisings have to get to UCH before he could receive the emergency medical attention he needed?

Globally, emergency medical care depends on timely intervention, effective referral systems and the availability of appropriately equipped healthcare facilities. Depending on the nature and severity of a patient’s condition, initial treatment may be provided at a primary healthcare facility, a general hospital or a specialised tertiary institution. In life-threatening emergencies, however, the priority is to get the patient to a facility capable of providing the necessary treatment without avoidable delays.

This raises important questions about Nigeria’s emergency healthcare infrastructure. Do we have adequately equipped primary healthcare centres in our communities and wards? How well-equipped are our general hospitals? Do these facilities have sufficient doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals to attend to patients promptly? And are emergency referral systems effective enough to ensure that patients receive appropriate care when every minute counts?

These are questions that often come to the fore when prominent Nigerians become victims of circumstances that expose weaknesses in the healthcare system. Yet, beyond the cases that attract media attention, how many ordinary Nigerians have lost their lives because timely emergency medical care was unavailable or inaccessible?

Too often, families are left to console themselves with the familiar expression, “It was his or her time to die.” While death is inevitable, the loss of life that might have been prevented through timely and appropriate medical intervention should concern every responsible society and their leaders.

Nigerian leaders at all levels must therefore give greater priority to strengthening emergency medical services. This requires adequately equipping primary healthcare centres and general hospitals, recruiting and retaining qualified medical personnel, ensuring the availability of essential medicines and equipment, and establishing efficient ambulance and referral systems. It also requires addressing the recurring industrial disputes that can disrupt healthcare delivery and place patients at risk.

The circumstances surrounding Toluwanisings’ final moments should prompt a broader conversation about how Nigeria can prevent avoidable deaths and ensure that emergency medical care is accessible to everyone, regardless of social status or financial means.

No one knows who may face a medical emergency next. The question is whether the country’s healthcare system will be ready when that moment comes.

May the soul of the departed rest in peace.

A stitch in time saves nine.

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!