The National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System, NEMSAS, says it is committed to improving emergency healthcare delivery across Nigeria through stronger collaboration with government agencies, private partners, and the media.
At the inauguration of the NEMSAS Media Cell in Abuja, the National Programme Manager, Dr. Emuren Doubra, explained that the initiative would create a unified, standardised, and accessible system for emergency response nationwide.
Dr. Doubra identified poor communication as a major challenge in emergency response, particularly the inefficiency of the 1-1-2 emergency number operated by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC.
“If you are not able to call or get across your emergency to a response agency, you can’t get served. The 1-1-2 number works well in some areas but poorly in most states. We are engaging the NCC to improve its functionality because Nigerians seriously need that number to work effectively,”he noted.
The Director-General of the National Blood Service Agency (NBSA), Professor Saleh Yuguda, emphasized the critical role of the media in promoting public awareness about NEMSAS.
“Today, we inaugurated the Media Cell of the National Emergency Medical Services. Whatever the federal government is doing, people need to know about it. NEMSAS has been established to cater for emergencies nationwide. The federal government will take care of treatment for anyone within the first 48 hours free of charge, that’s the main goal.”
Co-founder of Emergency Response Africa, Folake Owodunni, lauded the initiative and described it as a major step towards bridging emergency care gap in Nigeria.
She added that Emergency Response Africa connects hospitals and ambulance providers nationwide to improve response time and patient outcomes.
Dr. Francis Nwachukwu who represented the World Health Organization (WHO) said the programme’s success would depend on sustainable financing.
“With the Coordinating Minister’s reforms and the National Health Sector Renewal Investment Programme, funding through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund has strengthened the system. What is now needed is for NEMSAS to be fully functional in all 36 states.”
Media advocate and Executive Director of the International Society of Media in Public Health Moji Makanjuola, urged journalists to help raise public awareness of the service.
“Until people know that such a service exists, they cannot make the best use of it,” she said.
The Programme Manager of the FCT Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System, Dr. Ozy Okonokhua, noted that Abuja was the first to roll out the NEMSAS initiative in 2022 and has expanded its services to all area councils by working closely with the Federal Road Safety Corps, the police, and all emergency medical teams.
