…Approves Riyom General Hospital as JUTH Outpost
The Federal Government has commenced the nationwide distribution of Advanced Life Support ambulances and tricycle ambulances to strengthen emergency medical response and improve access to timely healthcare, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Ms Daju Kachollom, disclosed this at the flag-off ceremony held at the National Trauma Centre in Riyom, Plateau State.
Kachollom said the intervention was designed to improve emergency transportation and address last-mile challenges in hard-to-reach communities, where delays in accessing medical care could determine whether lives were saved.
She also announced that the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, had approved Riyom General Hospital as an outpost of the Jos University Teaching Hospital, following the cooperation and support of the Plateau State Government.
The Permanent Secretary commended the state government for its partnership and commitment to improving healthcare delivery.
According to her, the intervention was driven by the principle that distance should not determine whether a person survives an emergency, particularly during maternal and newborn complications, childhood illnesses, road crashes and other trauma cases.
She said the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System provides the framework for coordinating emergency medical services across the country.
Kachollom noted that Plateau State already had several emergency healthcare interventions, including the State Ambulance System, JUTH’s emergency care pathway and the Rural Emergency Service and Maternal Transport initiative, strengthened by the SAVEMAMA Digital RESMAT platform.
“Minutes matter in emergency care. The difference between timely transportation and delay can quite literally be the difference between life and death,” she said.
The Permanent Secretary said the intervention reflected President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the health sector, assuring that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare would ensure the proper deployment, maintenance, staffing, monitoring and accountability of the emergency vehicles.
She urged the Plateau State Government and other beneficiaries of the intervention to take ownership of the assets and ensure that they were deployed to communities with the greatest need.
“The Federal Government has made its contribution, and we expect the State Government to complement this investment through appropriate budgetary commitments and contributory funding to strengthen and sustain emergency medical services across Plateau State,” Kachollom said.
She added that the success of the programme would not be measured by the number of ambulances and tricycles distributed but by the number of lives saved and preventable deaths and disabilities reduced.
The Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, represented at the event by his deputy, Josephine Piyo, commended President Tinubu and the Federal Government for the intervention.
The governor described the ambulances and tricycles as a strategic investment in emergency healthcare, particularly in addressing difficult terrain and accessibility challenges confronting communities in underserved areas.
“The vehicles will improve timely transportation of patients, facilitate referrals between healthcare facilities and strengthen the emergency response chain, particularly when every second matters,” he said.
Mutfwang said the intervention aligned with the healthcare priorities of the Plateau State Government, noting that the state had earlier procured five tricycle ambulances under the Maternal and Newborn Mortality Innovative Initiative in Jos East Local Government Area.
He assured the Federal Government that the ambulances would be properly deployed, responsibly utilised and adequately maintained for their intended purpose.
The governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to building a coordinated healthcare system linking disease prevention, emergency response, transportation, referral, treatment and continuity of care.
He expressed appreciation to President Tinubu and the Federal Government for the intervention.
Also speaking, the Chief Medical Director of the Jos University Teaching Hospital said the initiative had recorded significant progress in reducing maternal mortality in communities where it had been implemented.
According to him, only one maternal death was recorded in Jos East Local Government Area in the last six months, while no maternal death was recorded in Riyom Local Government Area during the period.
He said about 1,115 patients had been transported under the initiative in Jos East, while more than 900 patients had benefited from emergency transportation services in Riyom Local Government Area.
“The initiative is very significant because the aim is to reduce, as much as possible, the maternal mortality rate in Plateau State and, by implication, Nigeria as a whole,” he said.
The CMD said available statistics before the intervention placed Plateau State’s maternal mortality rate at about 905 deaths per 100,000 live births, adding that the figure had declined to about 500.
He expressed optimism that sustained interventions could further reduce the rate to about 100 deaths per 100,000 live births.
The CMD commended health workers, particularly those in tertiary health institutions, for their contributions to the progress recorded so far.
He also thanked the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for providing an additional 10 brand-new tricycle ambulances to the state.
The Chairman of Riyom Local Government Area, Bature Sati Shuwa, expressed delight over the establishment of the JUTH outpost in the area.
Shuwa described the development as a product of committed and patriotic leadership and said the facility would improve access to healthcare for residents of Riyom and neighbouring communities.
“The facility will attract people from different places to come and seek treatment,” he said.
He thanked the Federal Government, the Plateau State Government, JUTH and other stakeholders for their roles in establishing the outpost.
