FG Deploys ALS, Tricycle Ambulances Nationwide To Strengthen Emergency Care
In emergency medicine, a few minutes can mean the difference between survival and death.
The Federal Government is therefore expanding access to emergency transport with the nationwide distribution of Advanced Life Support (ALS) and tricycle ambulances.
The initiative was flagged off on Monday at the National Trauma Centre, Riyom, Plateau State, as part of efforts to improve emergency response, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach communities.
Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom, said the intervention was designed to tackle delays in transporting patients to appropriate health facilities.
She said the programme, anchored on the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System (NEMSAS), would give particular attention to maternal and newborn emergencies, childhood illnesses, road crashes and trauma cases.
“Distance should not determine whether a life is saved,” Kachollom said, stressing that the success of the programme would be measured by lives saved and preventable deaths and disabilities reduced, rather than the number of vehicles distributed.
The Permanent Secretary also announced the approval of Riyom General Hospital as an outpost of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), following collaboration with the Plateau State Government.
Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang, represented by his deputy Josephine Piyo, described the ambulance deployment as a strategic investment in emergency healthcare, particularly for communities facing difficult terrain and limited access to hospitals.
The Chief Medical Director of JUTH said the intervention had already transported about 1,115 patients in Jos East and more than 900 in Riyom, while maternal mortality had fallen significantly in the affected areas.
He said Plateau State’s maternal mortality figure, previously estimated at about 905 deaths per 100,000 live births, had dropped to around 500, with the goal of reducing it further to about 100.
The Federal Ministry also announced the delivery of 10 new tricycle ambulances to Plateau State, adding to existing state-level emergency transport initiatives.
Kachollom urged beneficiaries to properly deploy, maintain and fund the vehicles, noting that sustained investment by state and local authorities would be critical to keeping the emergency response system functional.
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