The Bayelsa State Government says equipping secondary school students and teachers with emergency response skills will help save lives and reduce delays in providing first aid during medical emergencies.
The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe, stated this on Thursday at a three-day emergency response training in Yenagoa.
The programme was organised by FIRST Exploration & Petroleum Development Company Limited and the NNPC Limited/FIRST E&P Joint Venture, in collaboration with the Health Emergency Initiative.
More than 100 secondary school students and 50 teachers from public schools across the state participated in the training, which focused on first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other emergency response techniques.
Brisibe said the initiative aligned with the state government’s efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery and improve life expectancy among residents.
He disclosed that Bayelsa ranked sixth among Nigerian states in healthcare spending in the first quarter of 2026 but recorded the highest healthcare investment on a per-capita basis.
According to the commissioner, the state committed about N9bn to healthcare during the period, compared with more than N36bn spent by the state with the highest overall expenditure.
Brisibe said the figures reflected the commitment of the Governor Douye Diri administration to improving healthcare services and the wellbeing of residents.
“This is an investment that is here to save lives and shorten our response time to medical emergencies,” he said.
He emphasised that timely intervention was crucial during medical emergencies, particularly cardiovascular cases, where the first few minutes could determine whether a victim survives.
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The commissioner said exposing young people to emergency response techniques would also promote a culture of responsible intervention in schools, homes and communities.
He added that the state government planned to extend the training to public institutions and communities as part of efforts to build a broader network of people capable of responding to emergencies before professional medical help arrives.
Brisibe said the next phase would target representatives of the judiciary, legislature and various ministries, especially personnel working in public spaces, before the programme is extended to community leaders.
“We’re going to have representatives from the judiciary, we’re going to have representatives from the legislature, and from all ministries, most especially in public spaces,” he said.
The commissioner further disclosed that new programmes were being introduced at the Bayelsa State College of Health Technology to strengthen the state’s emergency medical services.
He said the programmes would include diploma courses in emergency medical technology and paramedicine, alongside physiotherapy training, as part of measures to build the manpower required for effective emergency healthcare delivery.