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From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
Nigeria’s emergency health system must be ready to save lives within the first 72 hours of a flood, disease outbreak or mass displacement, an emergency response expert has said.
Oliver van Veen of Vannin Group made the call in a statement issued to journalists in Abuja, warning that floods often expose existing weaknesses in health systems, including poor planning, inadequate manpower, weak infrastructure and poor coordination.
He said emergency preparedness must begin before disaster strikes by mapping high-risk communities, pre-positioning medical supplies, training health workers and preparing mobile response teams.
Van Veen cited Nigeria’s 2025 flood preparedness in Adamawa State, where health teams were deployed to seven high-risk local government areas before peak flooding. Supplies were pre-positioned, disease surveillance strengthened, and cholera, maternal and child health services supported.
He said the first six hours of an emergency should focus on establishing a clear picture of the situation, including affected communities, immediate health risks, functioning health facilities, available resources and who has authority to make decisions.
He also stressed the need to protect routine healthcare during emergencies, noting that patients would continue to need insulin, dialysis, HIV treatment, maternal care and other essential services.
According to him, temporary health facilities should, by the second day, have safe access, water, electricity, waste disposal, security, trained staff and referral links.
By the third day, authorities should prepare for emergencies that could last weeks by planning for supplies, staff rotation, chronic-care needs and maintenance of temporary facilities.
He cited the 2024 Borno floods, which caused displacement and damaged health infrastructure while increasing exposure to cholera, malaria, measles and malnutrition.
Van Veen urged authorities to regularly test emergency plans through drills covering power failures, blocked roads, communication breakdowns and staff shortages.
He said while the first 72 hours of an emergency would always involve uncertainty, avoidable confusion should not be allowed to worsen the crisis.
