Lagos State government has launched a floating clinic boat to enhance safety on waterways.

The general manager of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, said the launching was in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Lagos State Ambulance Services and the Primary Health Care Board.

“What we are playing at also is to have our own core emergency and response boats with the jetties control room, which will be launched in two months’ time,” he said at the official launching of the boat at the Five Cowries Terminal, Falomo, Ikoyi.

Mr Emmanuel said that they would be going out for medical missions around the riverine areas of Lagos State.

“Apart from the floating clinic which is going to respond to an emergency, we are going to have the core emergency response team, which is made up of local divers, boat captain, and others,” Mr Emmanuel said.

Senior Special Assistant to Governor of Lagos on Health, Oreoluwa Finnih, noted that it was in the realisation that Lagos had lots of rural communities on the waterways which were not connected with the mainstream of Lagos.

Ms Finnih said that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu realised the importance of medical services getting to those areas.

She said that the boat was multi-functional and an emergency vessel to reach out to the communities from the city.

“Most of the far areas have network, and there is always someplace you will be able to reach out to in case of an emergency.

“The floating clinic boat would have two functions such as outreach and emergency rescue.

“The boat has 400 horsepower, giving it a higher speed capacity to reach accident area within the waterways in no time,” she said.

Permanent Secretary, Lagos Ministry of Health, Olusegun Ogboye, said the floating clinic was part of the ministry’s initiative to extend ambulance services to the waterways.

(NAN)