Tinubu Launches 145 Tricycle Ambulances, 6 Boat Ambulances for Emergency Services

President Bola Tinubu has launched 145 tricycle ambulances, six boat ambulances, and 79 emergency ambulances as part of the largest single-day unveiling of health infrastructure in Nigeria’s history.

The fleet, deployed under the National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (NEMSAS) and the SAVEMAMA programme, is designed to provide emergency medical services, particularly for pregnant women, newborns, and hard-to-reach communities.

Speaking at the virtual commissioning event, the Minister of Health, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, described the initiative as a historic milestone for emergency healthcare response in Nigeria.

The tricycle ambulances, powered by CNG, are specifically designed to navigate difficult terrains and reach communities that conventional ambulances cannot access. They will be deployed across 15 states under the World Bank-supported IMPACT project.

According to official figures, more than 58,000 women and 2,000 newborns have already benefited from emergency transport interventions under the programme. Nigeria currently records approximately 75,000 maternal deaths and 280,000 newborn deaths annually.

Other projects commissioned alongside the ambulance fleet include Emergency Operations Centres in Kano, Sokoto, and Katsina; a Lagos Vaccine Hub; primary healthcare centres in Delta and Kano; a trauma centre at ABUTH Zaria; and a mental health complex at UMTH Maiduguri.

The President also inaugurated the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Specialist Complex at the Federal Medical Centre in Jabi, Abuja, as part of over 100 projects lined up to mark the administration’s third anniversary.

Nearly 3,000 primary healthcare centres have been revitalised under the IMPACT initiative, and 27 Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care centres have been established nationwide.

Source: Daily Trust, PM News