In Nigeria, and many parts of Africa, medical emergencies and accidents happen frequently like other parts of the world but the difference here is that the majority of our people have absolutely no idea how to help in such situations or even what number to call for assistance.
Every week, someone collapses in a public gathering. A child convulses in a classroom. A bike rider is hit by a car. But too often, people stand around, unsure of what to do. Hospitals turn victims away for lack of proper documentation. Passersby use their phones to record instead of rescue.
And lives are lost—not because they couldn’t have been saved—but because we weren’t prepared. Sometimes it’s fear. Other times, it’s helplessness. But more often than not, it’s just a lack of training. A lack of access. A failure of systems we never realized were broken until someone needed them the most.
We often say “God will help us” when tragedy strikes. But heaven helps those who are prepared. And right now, too few Nigerians are.
The hidden crisis
World Health Organization (WHO) data estimates that up to half of deaths in low and middle-income countries could be prevented with timely emergency care. That includes trauma, heart attacks, seizures, respiratory failures, burns, and more.
In Nigeria, where Emergency Medical Services (EMS) remain largely unstructured, the average person has no access to a functional ambulance within the golden hour. Most cities have no centralised EMS service. And where emergency lines do exist, many citizens either don’t trust them or don’t know how to use them. It gets worse.
According to a 2020 study published in African Journal of Emergency Medicine, over 80 percent of Nigerians lack basic first aid skills, including CPR and bleeding control. Yet in severe trauma cases, the first five minutes can make the difference between life and death.
This isn’t just a gap. It’s a systemic hole—one that swallows dreams, disrupts families, and erodes trust in our healthcare system. We all know the story of the young man who was recently knocked off his bike on a busy Lagos Road. He’s unconscious but still breathing. Passersby gather. There’s panic, but no meaningful assistance to save that life.
Eventually, a few brave people help move him—awkwardly—into the back of a mini-bus. It’s the only transport available like in most other cases. One hospital says no. The next says they don’t have capacity. By the time a third facility takes him in, it’s too late.
Just a few days ago, we all heard the story of a man who collapsed while celebrating his wife’s birthday. This isn’t fiction. It’s a reality that has played out again and again, on highways, in market squares, in homes, in schools. And the worst part? Many of these lives could have been saved. Almost every Nigerian has a personal experience of how emergency response in Nigeria has failed them.
Knowledge gap + Systemic gap = A national emergency
In a recent community health survey, 8 out of every 10 Nigerians interviewed admitted they would not know how to help in an emergency.
CPR? Never learned it. Choking response? They’ve only seen it in movies. Managing trauma while waiting for help? No idea. It’s not their fault. We’ve built a society where first aid training is often reserved for health workers. Where emergency numbers are not common knowledge. Where basic tools like stretchers or defibrillators are missing in public places.
Even in well-meaning communities, people turn to prayer before protocol. They use their phones to record, not respond. Not out of cruelty, but confusion. They simply don’t know what else to do. And while we mourn each life lost, we rarely take the next step: asking “What could we have done differently?”
Why it’s not enough to just blame the government
While it’s easy to lay blame at the feet of policymakers, the truth is more complex. Yes, Nigeria needs policy reform and greater investment in EMS. But change also requires community re-education, public-private collaboration, and a massive shift in how we think about bystander responsibility.
In developed countries, citizens are trained in basic emergency response from an early age. First aid kits are everywhere. Defibrillators are installed in public buildings. Emergency hotlines are fast, reliable, and staffed by trained responders.
In Nigeria, we have normalized helplessness. We record victims instead of rescuing them. We fear legal consequences for offering help. We simply don’t know what to do. And that’s the real tragedy—because the knowledge needed to save a life is often simple, but simply unavailable.
Turning phones into tools for survival
In response to this overwhelming gap, a consortium of healthcare organizations – Wellane Health, GET Consortium and Harley and Wall Healthcare and Business Consulting have come together to introduce a transformative innovation: ‘Help Buddy,’ an emergency response solution designed specifically for the Nigerian people.
This Emergency Response Solution has been endorsed by the Nigerian Medical Association and Lagos State Ministry of Health. Help Buddy is more than just a companion during an emergency. It’s a national movement.
A Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative with a bold target: to train 50 million Nigerians in first aid and emergency response skills in 5 years, using QR code stickers placed in public spaces.
Here’s how Help Buddy works:
● A sticker in your office premises, bus terminal, church, school or market has a QR code.
● Scanning it brings up short videos and guides on emergency responses curated for Nigerians: including CPR, managing bleeding, convulsions, burns, trauma.
● It also shows nearby ambulance services, emergency contacts, and hospitals with ICU capabilities.
● The materials are visual, easy-to-understand, and location-aware
● Best thing —-You don’t have to be a medical personnel before you can use help buddy. It is for everybody.
This simple act; scanning a code, learning first aid skills and acting could be the difference between life and death. It’s Time to Equip Everyday Nigerians to Become First Responders. We can’t keep waiting for ambulances that never come. We can’t keep turning emergencies into funerals because the people on the scene didn’t know what to do.
Emergency preparedness shouldn’t just be for doctors and nurses alone. It should be for all workers, teachers, drivers, students, traders, and every person with a smartphone and a heartbeat. Let’s build a Nigeria where the average citizen knows how to save a life. Where every home has emergency contacts saved. Where every public place is part of the response system. Where no one is left helpless because no one knows what to do.
Lives have been lost. But lives can still be saved. And with this ‘Help Buddy’ emergency response solution, we are one scan away from making that future possible.
. Dr. Kolade – CEO, Wellane Health; Dr. Dotun – COO, GET Consortium, and Dr. Ademolu – CEO, Harley and Wall Consulting, are partners that developed the Emergency Response Solution.
