The Act to Establish the National Burns and Rehabilitation Center in Ilaro Ogun State has passed the second reading on the floor of the senate, today Wednesday 30th June, 2021.
The bill was sponsored by the Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial district, Senator Tolu Odebiyi, who stated while leading the debate on behalf of Nigerians at the plenary session that the center when fully actualized will cater for all kinds of severe burns.
He recalled the unfortunate incident of the Sosoliso Plane Crash in the year 2005, where 7 people survived but 5 among them later died because they could not get a proper center to treat their burn injuries.
Senator Odebiyi who has been sponsoring many Bills that tend to proffer solutions to national problems and ease the burdens of the citizens, further said that, “The recent fire incident in Ajilete area of Owode-Ogun State, where scores of Nigerians perished due to the varying degrees of burns sustained and last week’s gas explosion in Ikeja Lagos which deepened the distressing situation of burns related accidents and victims in Nigeria, have reinforced the need for us to put an end to reactionary measures when we have health emergencies in this country”.
He averred that, “There is thus, the urgent need to deliberately switch to being proactive by making preparations for these emergencies, and proffering solutions before they happen. The call for us to have a specialized Burns and Rehabilitation Centre in the country is not only important, but it is an overriding concern in our health sector. There is a need for all of us seated here to rise to our representative and legislative calling by supporting this Bill in the interest of the citizens of this country, who have vested in us their mandate”.
The Centre will serve as a reference point for cases relating to the management of burns and where the best form of practice relating to plastic and reconstructive surgery and all forms of deformities are corrected.
The Senate passed the Bill and referred it to its Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary) for further legislative inputs.