By Joy Umo
Residents of Cross River State will now have access to faster and more reliable emergency healthcare following the launch of a new emergency call centre and ambulance service by the Federal Government.
The service, unveiled at the General Hospital in Calabar, is expected to respond swiftly to critical situations including flooding, fire incidents, road traffic accidents and other medical emergencies.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, was represented at the event by the Programmes Manager of the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System NEMSAS, Dr Doubra Emuren.
Dr Emuren explained that the initiative is designed to strengthen emergency healthcare delivery for Nigerians, especially low income earners and vulnerable groups. He said beneficiaries will be able to receive pre hospital care and ambulance transport at no cost at the point of service.
He noted that the Emergency Medical Treatment Gateway is a component of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund under the National Health Act, created to ensure that no Nigerian loses their life in an emergency simply because they cannot afford immediate medical care.
“We are here to formally inaugurate the Cross River State Emergency Medical Treatment Committee, which is the first step in building the necessary operational structures for emergency medical services across the state,” he said.
Dr Emuren added that the initiative is in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the health sector, which seeks to guarantee timely access to emergency care for every citizen.
According to him, the plan is to make ambulance services more accessible so that once a call is placed to the designated emergency number, government provided ambulances can quickly transport patients to facilities prepared to receive them.
Speaking on behalf of the state government, the Technical Adviser to Governor Bassey Otu on Universal Health Coverage, Dr David Ushie, said the launch represents a major step toward delivering the Governor’s People First vision for healthcare.
Dr Ushie announced that a functional call centre has already been set up with broadband internet, uninterrupted power supply and trained personnel to handle emergency requests. He added that five ambulances have been deployed in the first phase, with arrangements underway to harmonise both public and private ambulance operators into a unified response system.
He stressed that the goal is to ensure that no resident of Cross River is denied life saving medical assistance due to distance, cost or lack of transport during emergencies.
In his goodwill message, the Director General of the Cross River State Health Insurance Agency, Chief Godwin Iyala, described the development as timely and commendable. He expressed optimism that the new system will address long standing gaps in emergency response and improve the overall quality of care for citizens.
Iyala maintained that with the introduction of the Emergency Medical Treatment Gateway, residents now have stronger assurance of receiving urgent and dependable medical attention whenever emergencies arise.