By ADEROGBA GEORGE

The Federal Government on Friday in Abuja unveiled 145 tricycle ambulances, six boat ambulances and other equipment to strengthen the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System (NEMSAS) and improve emergency healthcare delivery nationwide.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziak-Adekunle Salako, who spoke virtually at the event, said the initiative aimed to expand access to emergency medical services, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach communities.

He said the intervention reflected the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, noting that no Nigerian should die due to lack of timely access to emergency medical care or basic health support systems.

According to him, the NEMSAS assets will improve pre-hospital care and emergency response across urban, riverine and remote areas, strengthening Nigeria’s overall healthcare delivery system.

“This landmark occasion features the official launch of the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System assets including 145 tricycle ambulances, six boat ambulances, emergency communication and dispatch equipment,” he said.

The minister also said that several health infrastructure projects had been commissioned nationwide, including Emergency Operations Centres in Kano, Sokoto and Katsina, as well as the Lagos Vaccine Hub.

Other projects, he said included primary healthcare facilities in Delta and major upgrades in federal tertiary hospitals across the country to improve healthcare access and service delivery.

Salako said additional commissioned facilities included trauma, mental health, infertility, laboratory and diagnostic centres across teaching hospitals in Zaria, Maiduguri, Bauchi and Uyo.

He added that more than 100 health projects were being lined up for commissioning to mark the third anniversary of the Tinubu administration across all geopolitical zones.

Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mrs Daju Kachallom, said the ambulances would be deployed to rural communities, stationed at primary healthcare centres with trained personnel to support emergency response.

She emphasised that emergency contact systems would be strengthened to ensure rapid referrals, adding that the health sector had improved significantly under the current administration.

NEMSAS Programme Manager, Emuren Doubra, said the tricycle ambulances were designed to transport pregnant women and newborns in hard-to-reach areas, helping reduce delays in accessing care.

He said that more than 58,000 women and 2,000 newborns had already benefited from emergency transport services, including a case involving a pregnant woman who delivered triplets safely after being transported over 180 kilometres.

Doubra said Nigeria records about 75,000 maternal deaths and 280,000 newborn deaths annually due to delays in accessing timely medical care.

He added that the ambulances were being deployed across 15 states under a World Bank-supported IMPACT project to strengthen emergency health response systems.

Mrs Nana Abubakar, Director of Community Health Services at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), said the initiative would improve emergency transport, referral systems and rapid access to lifesaving care.

She said it would help reduce preventable deaths, especially among mothers, newborns and other vulnerable groups, while strengthening primary healthcare as the foundation for universal health coverage.

Abubakar said that emergency response began within communities, adding that the initiative aligned with efforts to reinforce primary healthcare delivery nationwide.

Also speaking, National Coordinator of the National Malaria Elimination Programme, Nnena Ogbulafor, linked the emergency transport system to ongoing efforts to reduce malaria prevalence in Nigeria.

She said the 2025 Malaria Indicator Survey showed prevalence had declined to 15 per cent from 21 per cent recorded in 2021.

Ogbulafor attributed the progress to sustained government interventions in the health sector, including malaria prevention and treatment programmes.

She said that 428 health workers had been trained across 15 participating states, alongside strengthened awareness campaigns and emergency health communication strategies.

World Bank Task Team Leader, Onoride Ezire, described the inauguration as a major milestone in Nigeria’s drive toward universal health coverage.

He said the tricycle ambulances were equipped with communication gadgets and emergency medical systems to support patient monitoring during transport.

Ezire described them as life-saving tools, noting that poor terrain and lack of transport often turned basic emergencies into fatal situations in rural areas.

He urged beneficiary states to ensure proper maintenance and sustainable management of the ambulances to guarantee long-term impact.(NAN)

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