The Federal Government has commenced the nationwide distribution of Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances and tricycle ambulances to strengthen emergency medical response and improve access to healthcare in rural and underserved communities….
The Federal Government has commenced the nationwide distribution of Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances and tricycle ambulances to strengthen emergency medical response and improve access to healthcare in rural and underserved communities.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom, disclosed this on Monday at the flag-off ceremony held at the National Trauma Centre, Riyom, Plateau State.
Kachollom said the intervention was designed to address transportation and last-mile challenges in hard-to-reach communities, where delays in accessing medical care could determine whether lives were saved.
She said the programme would particularly support responses to maternal and newborn emergencies, childhood illnesses, road crashes and other trauma cases.
“Minutes matter in emergency care. The difference between timely transportation and delay can quite literally be the difference between life and death,” she said.
The Permanent Secretary also announced that the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, had approved Riyom General Hospital as an outpost of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), with the cooperation of the Plateau State Government.
She commended the state government for its partnership and urged Plateau and other beneficiary states to take ownership of the vehicles by ensuring their proper deployment, maintenance, staffing and accountability.
Kachollom said the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System (NEMSAS) would provide the framework for coordinating emergency services across the country.
She added that the success of the programme would be measured not by the number of vehicles distributed but by the number of lives saved and preventable deaths and disabilities reduced.
Representing Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang, Deputy Governor Josephine Piyo commended President Bola Tinubu for the intervention, describing the ambulances as a strategic investment in emergency healthcare.
She said the vehicles would improve timely transportation of patients, facilitate referrals between healthcare facilities and strengthen the emergency response chain, particularly in communities with difficult terrain and poor accessibility.
The governor also assured the Federal Government that the ambulances would be properly deployed, responsibly used and adequately maintained.
The Chief Medical Director of JUTH said the emergency transport initiative had recorded significant results, with about 1,115 patients transported in Jos East Local Government Area and more than 900 in Riyom.
He said only one maternal death had been recorded in Jos East in the previous six months, while Riyom had recorded none.
The CMD said Plateau State’s maternal mortality rate had dropped from about 905 deaths per 100,000 live births to approximately 500, expressing hope that it could eventually be reduced to about 100.
He commended health workers and the Federal Ministry of Health for providing an additional 10 new tricycle ambulances to Plateau State.
Chairman of Riyom Local Government Area, Bature Sati Shuwa, welcomed the establishment of the JUTH outpost in Riyom, saying the facility would attract patients from neighbouring communities and improve access to specialised healthcare.
He commended the federal and state governments and other stakeholders for supporting the initiative.
