By Peter Duru, Makurdi
The Federal Government has onboarded Benue State into the National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (NEMSAS), as the state simultaneously launches its State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (SEMSAS) to improve emergency response and save lives.
The initiative was launched on Wednesday in Makurdi during a two-day stakeholders’ sensitisation and onboarding programme organised by the Benue State Ministry of Health and Human Services.
Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Paul Ogwuche, described the development as a major milestone in the state’s efforts to ensure that residents do not lose their lives because emergency medical care failed to arrive on time.
Dr. Ogwuche said the initiative was particularly important to Benue because of its large rural population, difficult terrain and the long distances between some communities and referral health facilities.
He said NEMSAS was in line with the health agenda of Governor Hyacinth Alia, which prioritises stronger primary healthcare, improved access to quality medical services and reduction of preventable deaths.
The Commissioner stressed that NEMSAS was not merely about providing ambulances, but a coordinated emergency-care system involving emergency communication, trained responders, transportation, receiving facilities and effective referral coordination.
According to him, Benue would give priority to maternal and child emergencies while extending emergency medical services to rural communities.
“The ultimate measure of success will be faster response, timely treatment and lives saved, particularly among pregnant women, children, trauma victims and other vulnerable citizens,” he said.
Dr. Ogwuche also reaffirmed the state’s readiness to collaborate with the Federal Government, private ambulance operators, development partners, security agencies, health facilities and communities to build a functional emergency response system.
“We are committed to building an emergency response system where help is closer, response is faster, care is coordinated and lives are saved,” the Commissioner said.
Giving an overview of NEMSAS, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare representative, Timothy Cosmos, commended Benue for embracing the programme.
Cosmos disclosed that NEMSAS had achieved about 99 percent activation nationwide, with Imo State remaining the only state yet to key into the programme at the time of the engagement.
He explained that the scheme provides up to 48 hours of treatment for vulnerable patients brought through the ambulance system to participating health facilities.
He said the intervention covers emergencies arising from incidents including fire outbreaks, gunshot injuries, communal clashes and building collapses.
Cosmos urged the Benue State Government to also encourage private ambulance operators to participate in the scheme, stressing that their involvement would strengthen emergency coverage across the state.
Earlier, the Director of Medical Services in the State Ministry of Health and Coordinator of SEMSAS, Dr. Solomon Wombo, challenged stakeholders to take ownership of the programme and ensure its functionality and sustainability.
The Executive Secretary of the Benue State Primary Healthcare Board, Pharmacist Samuel Mbatsoron, and the World Health Organisation representative in the state, Dr. Abdulkarim Mohammed, pledged their support for the successful implementation of the initiative.
NEMSAS provides the national framework for emergency medical and ambulance services, while SEMSAS will serve as Benue’s state-level mechanism for coordinating emergency response and linking communities, ambulances, primary healthcare centres, hospitals and referral facilities.
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