Emergency Care: FG Flags Off Distribution of Life Support Ambulances

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian government has begun distributing Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances and tricycle ambulances nationwide to strengthen emergency medical response and improve access to timely healthcare, especially in rural and underserved communities.

According to a statement, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Ms Daju Kachollom, disclosed this at the flag-off ceremony at the National Trauma Centre, Riyom, on Monday.

She said the intervention would improve emergency transportation and address last-mile challenges in hard-to-reach communities, where delays can determine whether lives are saved.

Ms Kachollom also announced that the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, had approved Riyom General Hospital as an outpost of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), following the cooperation of the Plateau State Government.

She commended the Plateau State Government for its partnership and commitment to healthcare delivery.

According to her, the intervention is anchored on the principle that “distance should not determine whether a life is saved,” particularly during maternal and newborn emergencies, childhood illnesses, road crashes and other trauma cases.

She explained that the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System (NEMSAS) provides the framework for coordinated emergency services nationwide.

The Permanent Secretary said in Plateau State, existing interventions include the State Ambulance System, JUTH’s emergency-care pathway, and the Rural Emergency Service and Maternal Transport (RESMAT) initiative, strengthened by the SAVEMAMA Digital RESMAT platform.

“Minutes matter in emergency care. The difference between timely transportation and delay can quite literally be the difference between life and death,” she said.

Ms Kachollom said the intervention reflects President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in health and assured that the Ministry would ensure proper deployment, maintenance, staffing, monitoring and accountability.

She urged Plateau State and other beneficiaries to take ownership of the assets and deploy them to areas of greatest need.

“The federal government has made its contribution, and we expect the State Government to complement this investment through appropriate budgetary commitments and contributory funding to strengthen and sustain emergency medical services across Plateau State,” she said.

Kachollom noted that the success of the programme would be measured not by the number of vehicles distributed, but by lives saved and preventable deaths and disabilities reduced.

Speaking at the event the Plateau State Governor, Mr Caleb Mutwang, represented by his deputy, Mrs Josephine Piyo, commended President Bola Tinubu for the intervention, describing the ambulances as a strategic investment in emergency healthcare, noting that their deployment reflects the need for emergency services to address difficult terrains and accessibility challenges in underserved communities.

“The vehicles would improve timely transportation of patients, facilitate referrals between healthcare facilities and strengthen the emergency response chain, particularly when every second matters,” she noted.

She further stated that the intervention aligns with Plateau State’s healthcare priorities, including its earlier procurement of five tricycle ambulances for the Maternal and Newborn Mortality Innovative Initiative in Jos East.

The deputy governor assured the Federal Government that the ambulances would be properly deployed, responsibly utilised and adequately maintained for their intended purpose.

In his remarks, the Chief Medical Director Jos University Teaching Hospital stated that in the last six months only one maternal mortality was recorded in Jos East while Riyom has not recorded any mortality, announcing that under the initiative about 1,115 patients have been transported in Jos East Local Government and over 900 patients in Riom Local Government.

He described the initiative as very significant because the aim is to reduce as much as possible the maternal mortality rate for Plateau State and, by implication, Nigeria as a whole.

He announced that before the initiative statistics showed the Plateau state maternal mortality was at 905 or thereabouts, by 100,000, joyfully stating that at the statistics of today, is only at about 500, hoping to bring it down at possibly 100.

He appreciated the efforts of health workers, particularly in tertiary institutions, and commended the Federal Ministry of Health for graciously bringing an additional 10 brand new tricycles to Plateau State.

The Chairman, Riyom Local Government Area, Mr Bature Sati Shuwa, expressed delight for the Jos Teaching Hospital Outpost situated in Riyom, describing the effort as a result of good leaders and patriotic leadership as well of people who want to make Nigeria a better place.

He emphasised that the facility will attract people from all over the place to come and seek treatment, and thanked all responsible for the establishment of the JUTH Outpost.