The National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System (NEMSAS) has announced plans to deepen emergency healthcare services to ensure timely medical interventions for Nigerians. The agency also called for stronger collaboration among emergency response agencies and programs, with particular emphasis on improving access to and the functionality of the national emergency number, 112.
The National Programme Manager of NEMSAS, Dr. Emuren Doubra, speaking in Abuja, explained that multiple emergency contact numbers exist because the primary national number is not always easily accessible during emergencies.
A recent nationwide survey conducted with National Health Fellows across the 774 local government areas revealed that about 80% of states have access to the 112 emergency number. However, users often face difficulties connecting on the first attempt, and public awareness of the number remains low.
“To bring our ambulance services closer to people, we’ve had to leverage multiple numbers. The only reason alternate numbers exist is that the original number is not optimal during emergencies, when people are vulnerable and need immediate help,” Doubra said.
He urged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to scale up awareness and ensure full functionality of the 112 emergency number across all networks.
Doubra noted that NEMSAS has supported states in establishing emergency medical service structures to manage ambulance services and provide free emergency care for low-income residents through state facilities and, in some cases, federal tertiary facilities. NEMSAS-supported structures now exist in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“Across the 36 states and the FCT, no state is without NEMSAS-supported structures. Thirty-three states and the FCT have state emergency medical services and ambulance systems, with varying numbers of ambulances; 21 states are fully operational, while the others are close to commencing operations,” he said.
He, however, acknowledged that Nigeria still faces challenges with ambulance availability and equitable distribution.
“We cannot say we have an equitable distribution or enough ambulances, but ambulances are operational across these states,” Doubra said.
Only three states have yet to establish formal State Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance Systems. Meanwhile, federal tertiary health institutions have been designated as interim EMS coordinating centers to support residents in those states.
Every state also has access to emergency medical treatment funding through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF). NEMSAS has helped states establish the necessary structures to access these funds, even if some have not yet started drawing on them.
Doubra stressed the need for a Good Samaritan Law to protect citizens who assist in emergencies, noting that well-meaning individuals in Nigeria have sometimes faced harassment by law enforcement.
He highlighted the Rural Emergency Service and Maternal Transport (RESMAT) Programme, a NEMSAS initiative focused on reducing maternal and newborn mortality by addressing delays in reaching health facilities. RESMAT is operational in 123 local government areas, and as of December 2025, over 40,000 pregnant women from hard-to-reach areas have been transported to health facilities for delivery. An additional 11,200 women with obstetric emergencies have also been successfully managed at National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA)-empanelled CEmONC facilities.
The initiative has also facilitated the successful transport of 1,680 newborns with emergencies, ensuring timely care and improving survival outcomes.