In response to a viral video that sparked national outrage, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, stormed the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Abuja on an unannounced visit, ordering sweeping reforms to rescue trust in the nation’s emergency healthcare system.
The disturbing video showed an accident victim brought in by a good Samaritan, only to face delays and neglect at the emergency unit. This scene triggered criticism across the country.
Dr. Salako in his determination to get firsthand insight, engaged emergency ward staff and hospital leadership, interrogating them on their responsiveness, capacity, and accountability.
During a tense interaction with the Head of Emergency, Dr. Timothy Sama’ila, the Minister faulted the hospital’s limited space and workforce, made worse by Abuja’s rising patient load.
He directed the immediate implementation of investigative panel recommendations, including doubling the number of casualty officers per shift and integrating newly recruited health assistants.
He further ordered infrastructure upgrades, including improvements to power, water, and emergency unit layout, saying, Our hospitals must grow with the needs of the people.
Dr. Salako also flagged weak surveillance and crowd control, mandating enhanced security presence and installation of CCTV systems to protect patients and staff and support investigations when necessary.
To institutionalize long-term change, the Minister announced a national emergency care training program aimed at standardizing and improving response across all federal health facilities.
