{"id":17637,"date":"2026-11-14T13:00:53","date_gmt":"2026-11-14T13:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/14\/resqcore-platform-seeks-to-close-nigerias-emergency-response-gaps-businessday-ng\/"},"modified":"2026-11-14T13:00:53","modified_gmt":"2026-11-14T13:00:53","slug":"resqcore-platform-seeks-to-close-nigerias-emergency-response-gaps-businessday-ng","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/14\/resqcore-platform-seeks-to-close-nigerias-emergency-response-gaps-businessday-ng\/","title":{"rendered":"ResQCore platform seeks to close Nigeria\u2019s emergency response gaps – Businessday NG"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nigeria\u2019s fragmented emergency healthcare system could see a major shift as healthcare operators move to integrate ambulance services, hospitals, health maintenance organisations (HMOs) and emergency response providers through a technology-driven platform aimed at reducing delays in accessing critical care.\n<\/p>\n

The platform, unveiled at the ResQ Summit 2026 in Lagos, seeks to address longstanding gaps in emergency response, including poor coordination among healthcare providers, delayed ambulance services, limited access to specialist facilities and difficulties financing emergency treatment.\n<\/p>\n

The initiative comes amid concerns that Nigeria remains poorly prepared to respond to medical emergencies, with healthcare stakeholders warning that preventable deaths continue to occur because victims struggle to access timely medical attention.\n<\/p>\n

ResQCore is designed to connect emergency service providers and coordinate patient movement from the point of an incident to appropriate medical facilities, providing a shared operational network for individuals, ambulance operators, hospitals and other healthcare stakeholders.\n<\/p>\n

Aisha Onisarotu Atanda, convener of the summit, said the fragmented nature of emergency healthcare delivery has left patients and their relatives responsible for navigating a complex system at a time when every minute could determine survival.<\/p>\n

According to her, hospitals, ambulance operators, and HMOs often operate independently, forcing families to find emergency service providers, arrange transport, and decide which facilities can provide appropriate treatment.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen organisations operate in silos, we leave patients or their relatives to figure out the system by themselves. They have to determine which number to call, where the ambulance will take them and whether the hospital can handle the emergency,\u201d Atanda said.\n<\/p>\n

She explained that the absence of an integrated response system often results in patients being taken to facilities without the capacity to manage their conditions, leading to additional transfers and potentially dangerous delays.\n<\/p>\n

Atanda said the platform was developed in response to the difficulties healthcare providers encounter when trying to coordinate emergency transfers through multiple telephone calls and manual arrangements.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy should a hospital have to make several calls to get one ambulance? Why should an ambulance service provider operate in isolation when they could be part of a much larger network?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Through the platform, individuals can raise emergency requests, while the coordination team receives and manages them. Participating ambulance providers can review requests, assign response teams, and monitor patient transfers through mobile applications.\n<\/p>\n

The platform is also designed to improve visibility into ambulance availability, response teams and hospital capacity, including access to specialised care and intensive care unit beds.\n<\/p>\n

For hospitals, it is expected to provide a more structured pathway for accessing ambulance services and managing patient transfers, while HMOs could use the network to improve communication, emergency transport authorisation and reporting processes.\n<\/p>\n

Atanda, who co-founded an ambulance service provider and an organisation offering intensive care and surgical services at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), said the initiative was not intended to establish another ambulance company or hospital but to create the technological infrastructure that would enable existing providers to work together more efficiently.\n<\/p>\n

She said the platform would continue to be developed and expanded to accommodate ambulance operators, hospitals, HMOs, corporate organisations and other emergency care stakeholders.<\/p>\n

Stakeholders at the summit themed \u2018Building a Coordinated Emergency Care System\u2019 warned that Nigeria\u2019s emergency preparedness remains inadequate, particularly in pre-hospital care, where the actions taken before an injured or critically ill person reaches a hospital can significantly influence survival outcomes.\n<\/p>\n

Paschal Achunine, executive director of Health Emergency Initiative (HEI), said the country continues to face major gaps in emergency response, spanning skills, resources, technology and the capacity of hospitals to provide critical care.\n<\/p>\n

He expressed concern that bystanders who encounter accident victims often resort to taking photographs and recording videos rather than providing assistance, partly because they lack the necessary training and fear potential legal consequences.\n<\/p>\n

Achunine said the absence of a Good Samaritan law has discouraged some Nigerians from intervening during emergencies, while others lack the knowledge required to administer basic first aid.\n<\/p>\n

He called for the urgent passage of legislation that would protect individuals who provide reasonable assistance to victims during emergencies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important is urgent and quick passage of the Good Samaritan law. It will give a local standard to those who are at the scene of an emergency to do something without being afraid that the police could say you were the one that killed them,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n

Achunine said the first hour following a road traffic accident, commonly referred to as the golden hour, is critical to the victim\u2019s survival.\n<\/p>\n

He added that cardiovascular emergencies, including heart attacks, cardiac arrest and strokes, require even faster intervention, with the critical response window estimated at eight to 10 minutes.\n<\/p>\n

According to him, the chances of survival can be significantly improved when bystanders possess basic emergency response skills and know how to contact the appropriate services.\n<\/p>\n

He disclosed that HEI had secured approval from the Minister of Education for emergency health education to be incorporated into compulsory subjects in primary and secondary schools, with the implementation process already commenced.<\/p>\n

The initiative is expected to equip children with the knowledge to recognise emergencies and provide appropriate assistance before professional responders arrive.\n<\/p>\n

He said the platform includes a learning resource containing about 110 medical emergency cases, covering conditions such as head injuries, spinal cord injuries, internal and external bleeding, epilepsy, snake bites and scorpion stings.\n<\/p>\n

The system also provides a dashboard for tracking emergency response activities and improving the availability of data on emergency incidents.\n<\/p>\n

Read also:\u00a0US says attacks on Christians persist in Nigeria despite CPC designation<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

Achunine said emergency numbers must become more widely known, particularly 112, which is available across states of the federation, and 767, used in Lagos State.<\/p>\n

He said a successfully placed emergency call could improve a victim\u2019s chances of survival by as much as 50 percent, underscoring the importance of public awareness and access to functional emergency response services.\n<\/p>\n

However, stakeholders said improving coordination alone would not resolve the challenges facing emergency healthcare, as the cost of treatment and uncertainty over who pays for emergency services continue to constrain access.\n<\/p>\n

The convener identified health insurance as a critical component of building a sustainable emergency care system, arguing that Nigerians cannot continue to depend on out-of-pocket payments to finance major medical emergencies.\n<\/p>\n

She urged individuals to examine their insurance policies and ensure that emergency treatment is covered, noting that adequate insurance could prevent families from having to raise millions of naira at short notice.\n<\/p>\n

Mujidat Babah, chief medical officer at EHA Clinics, said emergency care financing must be considered throughout the patient\u2019s journey, from the point of an incident to arrival at a referral hospital and subsequent treatment.<\/p>\n

She identified concerns around the availability of skilled first responders, patient transportation, insurance coverage, medical information, triage and hospital infrastructure as major factors affecting emergency outcomes.\n<\/p>\n

Emmanuel Olowookere, head of medical operations and wellness at Citron Health, also highlighted the importance of obtaining accurate information from bystanders and relatives before dispatching emergency teams.\n<\/p>\n

He said the quality of information received helps ambulance operators determine the resources required to respond to an incident, while the cost and maintenance of specialised equipment remain operational considerations.\n<\/p>\n

He maintained that neither the private sector nor government could independently address the country\u2019s emergency healthcare challenges, stressing that collaboration would be necessary to establish a system that ensures patients receive the right care as quickly as possible.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ultimate objective was to create an emergency healthcare network in which individuals could make a single request and have the relevant organisations coordinate transportation, hospital admission, specialist care and recovery,\u201d Olowookere disclosed.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChinwe Michael<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Chinwe Michael is a Nigerian business journalist and media professional with over 4 years of experience covering companies, financial markets, banking, fintech, economic policy, financial inclusion, and corporate affairs. She currently leads the Companies & Markets desk at BusinessDay, where she drives coverage of Nigeria\u2019s corporate and capital markets, translates complex financial data into accessible stories, and mentors younger journalists. Prior to that, she was the head of the financial inclusion\/fintech desk. With a background in banking and finance and extensive experience in media and communications, Michael has developed expertise in financial journalism, economic analysis, investigative reporting and market intelligence. Her work examines how monetary policy, corporate performance, capital flows, technology, and regulatory decisions affect businesses, investors, and households. She was selected from about 3,000 applicants as one of 20 journalists for Cohort 4 of the MTN Media Innovation Programme, gaining exposure to new approaches to journalism, technology, and media innovation. Her international journalism experience and engagement with professionals across Russia, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and others in different sectors have further broadened her understanding of global communication and development.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Businessday NG<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nigeria\u2019s fragmented emergency healthcare system could see a major shift as healthcare operators move to integrate ambulance services, hospitals, health maintenance organisations (HMOs) and emergency response providers through a technology-driven… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17638,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17637"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17637\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}