By Damilola Samuel
The Federal Government has upgraded Riyom General Hospital in Plateau State to a National Trauma Centre and deployed 15 ambulances to strengthen emergency medical services across the state.
The intervention was announced on Monday by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Kachollom Daju, who represented the Coordinating Minister, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, at the formal launch of the facility.
The development is part of the National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (NEMSAS), under which Plateau received five conventional ambulance buses and 10 tricycle ambulances.
Daju commended the Plateau State Government for handing over the Riyom General Hospital to the Federal Government, noting that the National Trauma Centre could not have been established without the approval of Governor Caleb Mutfwang.
She explained that the ambulances would be used strictly for emergency services and would operate through three major pathways.
Through the Plateau State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance Services (PLASEMSAS), emergency transportation will be provided free within the state. The Federal Tertiary Facility Pathway will also 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 focus on pregnant women and newborns in rural and hard-to-reach communities.
Receiving the ambulances on behalf of the governor, his Deputy, Ngo Josephine Chundung Piyo, described the intervention as a major boost to emergency healthcare in the state.
Governor Mutfwang said the initiative was in line with his administration’s healthcare plan to ensure that residents are not prevented from accessing medical care because of distance, cost or lack of transportation.
He assured the Federal Government that the ambulances would be properly distributed, professionally managed and maintained.
The Chief Medical Director of Jos University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Pokop Bupwatda, said the intervention would help healthcare workers reach patients faster and move them to facilities where they could receive definitive treatment.
Bupwatda also pledged that the National Trauma Centre would operate 24 hours daily, in line with the Federal Government’s 48-hour free emergency treatment initiative.
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.
According to him, the Rural Emergency Service and Transport initiative has handled more than 2,000 emergency transports within six months, including 1,115 patients in Jos East and more than 900 in Riyom.
He said the intervention recorded one maternal death in Jos East and none in Riyom during the period, while the state’s maternal mortality ratio fell from 905 to about 500 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Under the new NEMSAS deployment, the five conventional ambulances will be stationed at JUTH, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Jos, Federal Medical Centre, Wase, Plateau State Specialist Hospital and the National Trauma Centre, Riyom.
The 10 tricycle ambulances will serve rural and hard-to-reach communities, providing last-mile transportation and helping to reduce delays in accessing emergency care.
The Federal Government expects the upgraded trauma centre and expanded ambulance network to improve emergency response, trauma care and referrals for accident victims, pregnant women and other patients requiring urgent medical attention.
