Anesthesia Training Critical to Saving Lives During Emergencies – Flight Physician

By Ojoma Akor

BADAGRY, Lagos — A flight physician and Managing Director of Braingrace Ambulance Services Limited, Dr. Stephen Aiyeyemi Akeremale has called for greater investment in specialized anesthesia and critical care training.

He made the call at the sixth graduation ceremony of the  School of Anesthetic Studies, Badagry, Lagos State.

Dr Akeremale, who also graduated with a Diploma from the institution, said advanced airway management can determine whether critically ill patients survive medical emergencies and transport.

He said his decision to pursue the qualification was driven by firsthand experience managing patients during emergency medical evacuations, trauma cases and critical care transfers by road and air.

According to him, patients can deteriorate unexpectedly during transportation, requiring immediate airway management, emergency resuscitation, ventilatory support, sedation or endotracheal intubation.

“An airway lost is a life at risk,” Stephen said, noting that assessing, securing, and managing a patient’s airway is an essential lifesaving responsibility for healthcare professionals involved in emergency and pre-hospital care.

He explained that his work as a flight physician had exposed him to situations in which rapid clinical intervention could mean the difference between life and death, particularly during medical evacuations when access to comprehensive hospital facilities may be limited.

For professionals involved in ambulance services and aeromedical transportation, he said, specialized knowledge of airway management is crucial to stabilizing patients and ensuring safer transfers.

Anesthesia extends beyond surgery.

Dr Akeremale challenged the perception that anesthesia is primarily associated with surgical procedures, noting that its applications extend to emergency medicine, trauma care, intensive care, pre-hospital treatment and aeromedical evacuation.

He said anesthesia training equips healthcare professionals with competencies in airway management, patient monitoring, pain control, sedation, ventilatory support and emergency response.

The expert added that these skills are particularly important when transporting critically ill patients over long distances, where sudden deterioration may require immediate intervention.

“Whether managing a critically injured trauma victim on the roadside, stabilizing a patient during a long-distance air evacuation, or accompanying a critically ill patient on a commercial medical escort flight, the ability to protect and control the airway can determine the outcome of the entire mission,” he said.

The physician urged doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to pursue specialized training in anesthesia and critical care, noting that Nigeria and other African countries need more skilled personnel to strengthen emergency response and improve patient outcomes.

He described his diploma as an investment in improving the quality of emergency medical services, not simply another professional qualification.

Through Braingrace Ambulance Services Limited, which provides emergency ground and air ambulance services, medical evacuation, and medical escort operations, the physician said he remained committed to advancing critical care transportation and strengthening emergency medical systems in Nigeria and across Africa.

“For me, studying Anesthesia was not simply about earning a diploma; it was about acquiring the knowledge, competence, and confidence necessary to secure the most precious gift of all—human life,” he said.

School graduates nurse anesthetists, technicians

Also speaking at the ceremony, the Coordinator of the School of Anesthetic Studies, Dr. Abiola Aduke Mafe,  said the graduates represented a significant addition to the specialist workforce required to strengthen anesthesia services and healthcare delivery in Lagos State and beyond.

Mafe said the school had secured full accreditation from the West African College of Surgeons for its Diploma, Membership and Fellowship programs.

She also announced a memorandum of understanding with Ladoke Akintola University of Technology for a master’s degree pathway in its nursing program, aimed at advancing trainees’ academic and professional development.

The coordinator appealed to the Lagos State Government, the Lagos State Health Service Commission, corporate organizations and other stakeholders to support the school with a bus ahead of the reaccreditation of its nursing anesthesia program scheduled for January 2027.

She said the vehicle would support clinical training, academic activities and outreach programs required to sustain the institution’s standards.

Mafe also announced the establishment of a N1.22 million endowment fund in honor of the school’s late pioneer coordinator, Commodore Dr. Olaniyi Oladapo, to reward the overall best graduating candidate in the Diploma in Anesthesia examination.

She said the fund, established through contributions from the Lagos Anesthetists Association and the school, would encourage academic excellence and professional development.

Congratulating the graduates, she urged them to uphold professional competence, integrity, and compassion, reminding them that every patient entrusted to their care deserved the highest standard of treatment.

The ceremony underscored the importance of specialized anesthesia training in building a skilled healthcare workforce and strengthening emergency medical care, particularly in situations where prompt intervention can determine survival.