By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The Federal Government has warned Ogun State against using newly donated emergency ambulances for purposes other than life-saving medical services.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, issued the warning on Friday in Abeokuta during the flag-off and distribution of ambulances to selected health facilities under the National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (NEMSAS).
Ogun received three Advanced Life Support (ALS), one Basic Life Support (BLS) and nine emergency tricycle ambulances as part of efforts to strengthen emergency response and improve access to timely care.
Salako said the intervention was aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and directed beneficiary facilities to ensure proper deployment, maintenance and operation of the vehicles by trained personnel.
He cautioned against diverting the ambulances for non-emergency duties, stressing that they were strictly meant for emergency medical response.
“These ambulances are not hearses for moving corpses or vehicles for going to the market to purchase goods, including drugs and other hospital consumables,” he said.
The minister disclosed that the first phase of the national intervention included 145 tricycle ambulances, six boats, 15 BLS ambulances and 79 ALS ambulances.
He said NEMSAS and the Maternal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative had provided free emergency obstetric care to more than 48,000 women, including over 4,000 who benefited from free caesarean sections.
According to him, the interventions have contributed to a 17 per cent reduction in maternal deaths and 12 per cent decline in newborn deaths across 172 high-burden LGAs.
Salako also disclosed that his office had received complaints of alleged unprofessional conduct, dereliction of duty and illegal levy collection by some officials of the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, assuring that anyone found culpable would face sanctions under the Public Service Rules.
He called for stronger collaboration among government agencies, health facilities, emergency responders, security agencies and communities to build a coordinated and sustainable emergency medical response system.
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