Establish emergency medical treatment fund now

Red Cross Emergency ambulances arrive at Wilson Airport for the bodies of seven police Officers killed by suspected cattle rustlers in Turkana East on Sunday, September 25, 2022. [Samson Wire, Standard]

Most of us seek care when we are acutely ill or injured. Most healthcare providers are able to handle these emergencies. Well-organised emergency care is recognised as among the most cost-effective public health interventions.

Recognising the importance to strong health systems, the WHO in its 2007 World Health Assembly (WHA) Resolution 60.22, 'Health Systems: Emergency Care Systems' called for all countries to develop effective emergency care systems. More recently in 2019, WHA 72.16 'Emergency care systems for universal health coverage: Ensuring timely care for the acutely ill and injured' placed Emergency Medicine as a core specialty within any healthcare system.