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 care across the state.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, disclosed this on Friday during the flag-off and distribution of Advanced Trauma Life Support, Basic Life Support and tricycle ambulances to selected health facilities in Ogun State under the National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System.
The event was held at the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta.
The 13 ambulances comprise three Advanced Life Support ambulances, one Basic Life Support ambulance and nine tricycle ambulances.
Salako said the intervention was part of the Federal Government’s commitment under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to strengthen emergency medical transportation, first-responder capacity, communication systems and emergency-care coordination nationwide.
He disclosed that the Federal Government had acquired 145 tricycle ambulances, six boats, 15 Basic Life Support ambulances and 79 Advanced Life Support ambulances, in addition to laptops, printers and communication devices, as part of the first phase of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s emergency medical services system.
According to him, the Ogun allocation would support Federal and state tertiary institutions, including FMC Abeokuta and Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, 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 critical situations often depended on how quickly patients were 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 explained that the Federal Government’s approach had shifted from merely distributing ambulances to building 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, while providing complementary operational and maintenance funding to sustain the services.
Salako warned that the ambulances must not be diverted for non-emergency purposes.
He directed that they be deployed according to identified emergency-care needs, maintained properly, operated by trained personnel and subjected to effective monitoring and documentation.
“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 also disclosed that the Federal Government would collaborate with the legislative arm and other stakeholders to address the fragmented regulatory framework governing first responders and emergency management in Nigeria.
He said NEMSAS, in partnership with relevant Federal Government agencies, would continue working towards establishing a unified framework linking emergency dispatch, pre-hospital care, transportation and receiving hospitals.
Meanwhile, Salako disclosed that his office had received complaints and media reports alleging unprofessional conduct, dereliction of duty and illegal collection of levies by some officials of FMC Abeokuta.
While commending health workers who continued to discharge their duties diligently and uphold ethical standards, he said the allegations would be thoroughly investigated.
The minister warned that anyone found culpable would be sanctioned in accordance 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.
Salako 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 was ultimately aimed at demonstrating the Federal Government’s commitment to saving lives and restoring dignity to Nigerians during medical emergencies.
“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.