By Ojoma Akor
The federal government of Nigeria, through the National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (NEMSAS) programme, has supported 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in setting up Emergency Medical Service (EMS) management and operational structures, NEMSAS National Program Manager, Dr. Emuren Doubra, has said.
He disclosed this on Sunday while fielding questions from reporters in Abuja. He was responding to a publication in the African Journal of Emergency Medicine, titled ‘Progress in Emergency Medicine in Nigeria: Where we are in 2025.’
Dr. Doubra said the study outlined what NEMSAS represents within the emergency medical service (EMS) ecosystem, but failed to add that the organization has supported states in establishing EMS management and operational structures across 33 states and the FCT.
He said, “They gave a good introduction about what NEMSAS represents within the EMS ecosystem, and the government’s vision for EMS in the country. However, what they failed to add is that the NEMSAS footprint is already nationwide.”
He stated that NEMSAS-supported or aligned structures have been established across the country, either through state structures or through the federal tertiary facility structures.
He explained that these NEMSAS-supported structures are designed to manage ambulance services and to provide free emergency care for poor people through public and private state facilities, as well as federal tertiary facilities.
He said, “Across the 36 states and the FCT, no state is without NEMSAS-supported structures. 33 states and FCT have state emergency medical services and ambulance systems, with varying numbers of ambulances; 21 states are presently operational, while the others are on the verge of commencing operations.
“We cannot say we have an equitable distribution of ambulances or that we have enough ambulances. We have ambulances operational in these states.”
The NEMSAS National Program Manager further said that there are three states in which the state emergency medical service and ambulance systems are not set up. Adding that, however, to ensure that populations within these states are not disenfranchised, supported federal tertiary health facilities serve as interim EMS—coordinating bodies in the three states pending the establishment of the states’ structures.
On funding, he highlighted that no state is without an emergency medical treatment gateway funding opportunity under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
“Some states have not started drawing the support, but they have dedicated structures to do so, which NEMSAS has set up. Now, it is one thing to set up a structure, but it is the state’s responsibility to commence operations. We are optimistic about functionality. We’re optimistic about the benefits and the success factor,” he said.
He also highlighted that multiple emergency numbers are used to bring ambulance services closer to the people.
He said, “There are multiple emergency communication numbers, and the only reason there are alternate numbers is that the original number is not optimal in emergencies, when people are vulnerable and need to act without professional care.”
A recent survey conducted with the National Health Fellows (Cohort 1) on the functionality and availability of Emergency Medical Services across the 774 LGAs in Nigeria revealed that approximately 80% of states have access to the National Emergency Communication Number. Still, there remain difficulties in accessing it on the first dial.
It also revealed low awareness of this number across Nigeria. It is thus important for the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to scale up awareness and functionality of the 112 Emergency Communication number across all networks, given that access across different mobile telecommunication operators’ networks varies, with one being more functional than the others.
He also harped on the need for a Good Samaritan Law to protect the good Samaritan who tries to help people during emergencies. He said that in Nigeria, good Samaritans have had ugly experiences at the hands of law enforcement officers.
He added that there is also a Rural complementary component of NEMSAS focused on reducing maternal and newborn mortality by addressing the second delay in reaching Health Facilities for pregnant women and newborn babies.
“The second delay is the time to reach the health facility during an obstetric emergency, through the rural emergency service and maternal transport (RESMAT) programme,” he said.
He further said that the programme is operational across 123 local government areas, adding that as of December 2025, over 40,000 pregnant women from hard-to-reach areas have been transported from their communities to health facilities to deliver their babies, while an additional 11,200 have been transported due to obstetric emergencies and were successfully managed at National Health Insurance Authority empanelled- CEmONC facilities.
Health and Science Africa also learnt that 1,680 newborns with emergencies have been successfully transported.
He called for greater collaboration across emergency response agencies and programmes in the country, with particular emphasis on improving access to and functionality of the 112 Emergency number.
He also called for acceptance and optimism for EMS in the country, rather than negative reports and pessimism.
