The Federal Government has upgraded the Riyom General Hospital in Plateau State to a National Trauma Centre and deployed 15 ambulances to the state as part of efforts to strengthen emergency medical services.
The development was announced on Monday during the launch of the National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (NEMSAS) in Riyom.
The newly approved National Trauma Centre will operate as an outpost of the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), while the ambulance intervention comprises five conventional emergency ambulance buses and 10 tricycle ambulances for rural and hard-to-reach communities.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Kachollom Daju, who represented the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, announced the Federal Government’s approval of the facility as the National Trauma Centre, Riyom.
Daju commended the Plateau State Government for ceding the facility to the Federal Government, saying the development would not have been possible without the consent of Governor Caleb Mutfwang.
She said the ambulances would be used strictly for emergency medical services and operated through different components of NEMSAS.
According to her, the Plateau State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (PLASEMSAS) would provide free emergency transportation within the state, while the Federal Tertiary Facility Pathway would provide vulnerable patients with free emergency treatment for up to 48 hours.
She added that another component of the programme, Rural Emergency Service and Transportation for Mothers (REST-M), would provide emergency transportation for pregnant women and newborns in rural communities.
The Chief Medical Director of JUTH, Pokop Bupwatda, said the intervention would enable healthcare providers to reach emergency patients more quickly and transport them to facilities where they could receive definitive treatment.
Bupwatda pledged 24-hour emergency operations at the hospital in line with the Federal Government’s 48-hour free emergency treatment initiative.
Where the 15 ambulances will operate
Under the NEMSAS arrangement, the five conventional ambulances will be deployed to 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 as last-mile emergency transport vehicles in rural and hard-to-reach communities across Plateau State.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang, represented at the event by his deputy, Josephine Piyo, described the development as a major investment in emergency healthcare and saving lives.
Mutfwang said the intervention was consistent with his administration’s healthcare policy of ensuring that residents were not denied medical care because of distance, cost or lack of transportation.
He said the Plateau Government had earlier procured five ambulance buses under PLASEMSAS, while tricycle ambulances were provided for Jos East and Riyom Local Government Areas under the Maternal and Newborn Mortality Innovative Initiative.
The governor assured the Federal Government that the newly deployed ambulances would be properly deployed, professionally managed and maintained.
He also thanked President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for approving the trauma centre and supporting emergency medical services in the state.
Plateau records over 2,000 emergency patient transfer
The Plateau State Commissioner for Health, Nicholas Baamlong, said the state commenced its emergency ambulance system in August 2025 after procuring ambulances for strategic health facilities.
Baamlong said the state’s rural emergency transportation initiative recorded more than 2,000 emergency patient transfers within 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.The commissioner also disclosed that Plateau’s maternal mortality ratio had declined from 905 to approximately 500 deaths per 100,000 live births.
The upgrade of the Riyom General Hospital to a National Trauma Centre, alongside the deployment of the ambulances, is expected to improve access to emergency care and reduce delays in transporting patients from rural communities to facilities capable of providing definitive treatment.
