JOS—The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA has confirmed that 44 people lost their lives and 47 others were critically injured in the twin blasts which rocked Jos city Sunday night, just as the Chief Medical Director of Plateau Medical Hospital decried inadequate bed space.
Though the dead have been buried, those injured are receiving treatment at the Plateau State Specialists Hospital, Our Lady of Apostle Hospital, Bingham University Teaching Hospital (Jankwano) and Sunnah Hospital, Angwan Rimi, all in Jos, the Plateau state capital.
Speaking with journalists at the premises of the Plateau State Hospital, Jos, the North Central Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Mr. Mohammed Abdulsalami said, “As at 3am, we had 44 people dead while 47 are injured and majority of them are in the ICU of the Plateau Hospital.
“This is the first hospital we brought them but because of the casualty figure, the hospital facility was overstretched; so we took some of them to Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Jankwano and Our Lady of Apostle, OLA Hospital.”
He added that the agency has made provision for some consumables to be used in treating the patients and more will be provided based on the requirements of the hospitals.
Some of the Jos blast victim receiving treatment
His words, “Normally, when situations like this occur, we know that there are emergency items that are required in the hospitals such as bandages that will first of all be applied to the victims to stop the blood flow. So we were able to provide that. Why we are here now is to monitor the situation and to enquire from the hospital management what more they will require so that we could forward them to Abuja for them to be made available immediately.”
Abdulsalami commended the action of the medical personnel for obeying the call by the state chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA for their members to come out and assist in tending the injured.
When Vanguard visited the Plateau Specialists Hospital, most of the injured were still at the theatre except for some children with less life-threatening injuries receiving treatment in Ward 3 of the hospital.
Plateau State governor, Simon Lalong lamented the unfortunate incidence ”in this month of religious piety for the Moslem Ummah” saying such is highly condemnable.
The governor in a statement signed by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Emmanuel Nanle called on all inhabitants of Jos North and the entire citizens of the State to remain calm as Government is determined to end the trend in the state.
He also commiserated with the victims .
Meantime, Dr Gomwalk Timothy, the acting Chief Medical Director (CMD) of Plateau Specialist Hospital has decried inadequate bed spaces to admit patients and victims of the bomb blast at the hospital.
The CMD made the complaint in the wake of mass casualties of Sunday’s bomb blasts.
Timothy said , Monday, that the hospital lacked bed space that would accommodate the massive casualties.
According to him, inadequate bed space for patients is posing serious challenge to the hospital in its bid to give medical attention to those injured from the blast.
‘’One of our major challenges at the moment is inadequate and insufficient bed space that will accommodate all these casualties brought to us here.
‘’As am talking to you, no fewer than fifteen among the casualties are admitted on the bare floor.
‘’You know, we already have patients on the ground before the blast and so, we are already overwhelmed,’’ he said.
The CMD, however, said those who could not get a bed space at the hospital should not panic as modalities are on ground to either get them beds or transfer them to other hospitals with available bed spaces.
