The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to provide free emergency medical treatment for all Nigerians within the first 48 hours of any emergency, regardless of location or socioeconomic status.
Director-General of the National Blood Service Commission (NBSC) and member of the National Emergency Technical Committee, Saleh Yuguda, announced this during a high-level meeting of the National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (NEMSAS) in Abuja.
Representing the committee chairman, Ismail Jibril, Yuguda said the initiative underscores government’s commitment to building a structured and sustainable emergency response system capable of saving lives nationwide.
“NEMSAS was established to cater for emergencies across the country. Whenever anyone in Nigeria faces a medical emergency, the Federal Government will cover the cost of treatment for the first 48 hours free of charge”, Yuguda stated.
He urged Nigerians to take advantage of the service available in both public and private hospitals, while also stressing the media’s vital role in educating citizens about the programme.
Also speaking, the National Programme Manager of NEMSAS, Emuren Doubra, explained that the initiative operationalises the Emergency Medical Treatment (EMT) Gateway under the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) to unify and standardise emergency services previously fragmented among private, NGO, and community providers.
“Without a structured system, emergency medical care becomes inefficient and non-standard. NEMSAS now provides a coordinated framework that ensures vulnerable Nigerians can access life-saving care without upfront payment”, Doubra said.
He identified communication gaps, poor functionality of the 112 emergency number, and health worker shortages as key challenges, calling for stronger collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and private partners to improve response times.
Also speaking, WHO Technical Officer for Health Financing and Strategic Partnerships, Francis Nwachukwu, emphasized the need for sustainable funding to ensure NEMSAS’s success and commended Health Minister Ali Pate for prioritising emergency care under the National Health Sector Renewal Investment Programme.
