By Saminu Ibrahim
The Federal Government has deployed 13 ambulances to Ogun State as part of efforts to strengthen emergency medical services and improve access to timely, life-saving healthcare.
SINL Nigeria Online reports that the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, disclosed this on Friday during the flag-off and distribution of Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS), Basic Life Support (BLS) and tricycle ambulances to selected health facilities in the state under the National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (NEMSAS).
The event was held at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta.
Salako said the intervention was part of the Federal Government’s commitment, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, to strengthen emergency medical transportation, first-responder capacity, communication systems and emergency-care coordination nationwide.
He said the Federal Government had acquired 145 tricycle ambulances, six boats, 15 BLS ambulances and 79 Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances, alongside laptops, printers and communication devices, as the first phase of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s emergency medical services system.
According to him, Ogun received three ALS ambulances, one BLS ambulance and nine tricycle ambulances.
He said the vehicles would serve Federal and state tertiary institutions, including FMC Abeokuta and Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), as well as selected high-volume and remote secondary and primary healthcare facilities.
The minister said more than 48,000 women had received free emergency obstetric care through NEMSAS and the Maternal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative, while more than 4,000 women had benefited from free Caesarean sections in NHIA-empanelled facilities.
He added that the interventions had contributed to a 17 per cent reduction in maternal deaths and a 12 per cent reduction in newborn deaths across 172 high-burden Local Government Areas.
Salako stressed that emergency medical services involved more than simply providing ambulances, noting that survival in emergencies often depended on how quickly patients could be stabilised, transported and connected to definitive hospital care.
“The true value of these ambulances will be measured not by their presence at today’s ceremony, but by their performance in moments of crisis—when a mother in labour needs urgent transfer, when a road crash victim requires rapid stabilisation, or when a child in respiratory distress must reach care without delay,” he said.
The minister said the government’s approach had evolved from merely providing ambulances to establishing a coordinated emergency-care system linking dispatch, communication, trained personnel, pre-hospital care, transportation, referral pathways and receiving hospitals.
He urged the Ogun State Government and beneficiary health facilities to ensure proper deployment, maintenance and accountability for the vehicles.
He also called for complementary operational and maintenance funding to ensure the sustainability of the emergency medical services, warning that the ambulances must not be diverted for non-emergency purposes.
Salako directed that the ambulances be deployed according to identified emergency-care needs, maintained properly, operated by trained personnel and used exclusively for designated emergency medical services.
“These ambulances are not hearses for moving corpses or vehicles for going to the market to purchase goods, including drugs and other hospital consumables,” he cautioned.
The minister further disclosed that the Federal Government would collaborate with the National Assembly and other stakeholders to address the fragmented regulatory framework governing first responders and emergency management in Nigeria.
He said NEMSAS, in partnership with relevant government agencies, would continue working towards a unified framework connecting emergency dispatch, pre-hospital care, transportation and receiving hospitals.
Salako also raised concerns over complaints and media reports alleging unprofessional conduct, dereliction of duty and illegal collection of levies by some officials of FMC Abeokuta.
He said the complaints would receive comprehensive attention, adding that anyone found culpable would be sanctioned in line with the Public Service Rules.
“We must sustain the confidence of the public in Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta. When patients come to our hospitals, the minimum they expect is professional medical care, support, clear communication and respectful treatment,” he said.
The minister called for stronger collaboration among the Federal Government, Ogun State Government, health facilities, emergency responders, security agencies, private-sector stakeholders and communities to build an emergency medical system that is accessible, coordinated, equitable, resilient and sustainable.
He said the initiative demonstrated the Federal Government’s commitment to saving lives and restoring dignity to Nigerians during moments of greatest need.
“Every siren must symbolise hope, every response must reflect preparedness, and every rescued life must stand as evidence of a health system that is becoming stronger, more humane and more responsive to the needs of the Nigerian people,” Salako said.
