The National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System (NEMSAS) is transforming Nigeria's healthcare landscape by ensuring timely access to emergency medical care for all citizens, regardless of location or socioeconomic status.
A renewed hope for health security is unfolding in Nigeria. Picture a Nigeria where emergency medical response is swift and universal, where no woman dies in childbirth due to lack of transport, and where accident victims receive immediate, life-saving intervention. This vision is fast becoming reality thanks to the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System ( NEMSAS ). For decades, preventable deaths occurred in Nigeria because there was no coordinated emergency response system.
Too often, road accidents, pregnancy complications, strokes, and trauma claimed lives, not because treatment was unavailable, but because help did not arrive in time. Families watched in anguish as loved ones perished due to the lack of access to timely emergency care. NEMSAS was established to close this critical gap, ensuring every Nigerian, regardless of location or socioeconomic status, has timely access to emergency medical care. While the foundation was laid in previous years, it is under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda that NEMSAS has been prioritized, expanded, and integrated into Nigeria’s broader health sector reforms. With stronger political commitment, strategic investments, and a whole-of-government approach, NEMSAS is now a pillar of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, strengthening emergency healthcare nationwide. More than 40 percent of Nigerians live in rural areas with limited access to healthcare, and maternal mortality rates remain among the highest globally. The challenge is not just treatment but timely access to care. The three delays in healthcare highlight that reaching a facility in time is a leading cause of preventable deaths. In the past, pregnant women, accident victims, and critically ill patients had no reliable way to access emergency services. That is changing. NEMSAS is a national, state-driven, community-anchored emergency medical system ensuring rapid response, timely transportation, and quality emergency care. As the operational arm of the emergency medical treatment gateway under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), it integrates emergency care within state health systems while maintaining a coordinated national response. Collaboration is central to NEMSAS’s success. The initiative operates through a structured inter-agency framework, bringing together the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). FRSC responds to medical emergencies and road traffic accidents, NEMA coordinates mass casualty events, NPHCDA integrates emergency services into primary healthcare, and NHIA ensures coverage for enrolled patients. At the tertiary level, hospitals serve as emergency medical hubs for specialised critical cases. This progress reflects the visionary leadership and strong commitment of the coordinating minister for Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, alongside state governors, local government chairmen, and state commissioners of health, whose collaboration and policy reforms have driven the evolving transformation. Through the Sector-Wide Approach (SWaP), these efforts have ensured a structured framework for integrating emergency medical services into Nigeria’s broader health reforms. Support for journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Private sector involvement has been instrumental in expanding ambulance networks, digital emergency response systems, and workforce training
NATIONAL EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE AND AMBULANCE S NEMSAS EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE HEALTH SECURITY NIGERIA PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU RENEWED HOPE AGENDA BASIC HEALTH CARE PROVISION FUND BHCPF
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