The Federal Government has upgraded Riyom General Hospital in Plateau State to a National Trauma Centre and deployed 15 emergency ambulances to the state as part of efforts to strengthen emergency medical response and improve access to life-saving care.
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Kachollom Daju, who represented the Coordinating Minister, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, announced the approval during the formal launch of the National Trauma Centre, Riyom, on Monday.
The intervention is being implemented under the Federal Government’s National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (NEMSAS), through which five conventional ambulance buses and 10 tricycle ambulances have been deployed to Plateau.
Daju commended the Plateau State Government for transferring Riyom General Hospital to the Federal Government, noting that the establishment of the trauma centre would not have been possible without the consent of Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang.
She said the ambulances were strictly dedicated to emergency medical services and would operate through three pathways designed to improve access to timely care.
Under the Plateau State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance Services (PLASEMSAS), NEMSAS will provide free emergency transportation within the state, while the Federal Tertiary Facility Pathway will provide vulnerable patients with up to 48 hours of free emergency treatment.
The third pathway, Rural Emergency Services and Transport for Maternal and Newborns (REST-M), will provide emergency transportation for pregnant women and newborns in rural and hard-to-reach communities.
Receiving the ambulances on behalf of the governor, Deputy Governor Ngo Josephine Chundung Piyo described the intervention as a major investment in saving lives and a significant boost to Plateau’s emergency healthcare system.
Mutfwang said the intervention aligned with his administration’s healthcare blueprint, which seeks to ensure that no resident of the state is denied access to medical care because of distance, cost or lack of transportation.
The governor recalled that the state had previously procured five ambulance buses to kick-start PLASEMSAS, while tricycle ambulances were provided to Jos East and Riyom local government areas under the Maternal and Newborn Mortality Innovative Initiative.
He assured the Federal Government that the newly deployed ambulances would be properly distributed, professionally managed and adequately maintained to ensure their sustainability.
Mutfwang thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for the intervention, particularly the designation of Riyom General Hospital as a National Trauma Centre.
The Chief Medical Director of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Dr Pokop Bupwatda, said the intervention would enable healthcare workers to reach emergency patients more quickly and transport them to facilities capable of providing definitive care.
Bupwatda also pledged that the facility would operate around the clock in line with the Federal Government’s 48-hour free emergency treatment initiative.
Plateau records more than 2,000 emergency transports
The Plateau State Commissioner for Health, Dr Nicholas Baamlong, said the state began its emergency ambulance system in August 2025 after procuring ambulances for strategic health facilities.
Baamlong said the state’s Rural Emergency Service and Transport initiative had recorded more than 2,000 emergency transports in six months, including 1,115 patients in Jos East and more than 900 in Riyom.
He said the initiative recorded one maternal death in Jos East and none in Riyom during the period, while Plateau’s maternal mortality ratio fell from 905 to approximately 500 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Under the latest NEMSAS deployment, the five conventional ambulances will be stationed at Jos University Teaching Hospital, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Jos, Federal Medical Centre, Wase, Plateau State Specialist Hospital and the National Trauma Centre, Riyom.
The 10 tricycle ambulances will provide last-mile emergency transportation in rural and hard-to-reach communities, complementing the conventional ambulances and helping to address transportation challenges that often delay access to medical care.
The upgrade of Riyom General Hospital is expected to strengthen trauma care and emergency referrals across Plateau State, while the expanded ambulance network is expected to improve response times to road accidents, maternal emergencies and other life-threatening situations.
