The National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System says 5,255 beneficiaries across Nigeria benefited from the Emergency Medical Treatment of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.

Saidu Dumbulwa, national programme manager of NEMSAS, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja on the sidelines of the Ministerial Oversight Committee for BHCPF during its 10th quarterly meeting to review progress on BHCPF implementation.

Mr Dumbulwa said the gateway fund was between the fourth quarter of 2024 and February 2025, emphasising that the fund provided financial support to improve access to emergency healthcare services.

He said 3,952 beneficiaries received emergency medical care in tertiary health facilities, while 1,303 accessed support through the State Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System pathway.

According to him, the EMT Gateway Fund ensures timely access to life-saving medical interventions, particularly for vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, children under five, and individuals facing medical emergencies.

He underscored that the initiative aligns with ongoing national efforts to strengthen emergency healthcare and reduce mortality rates associated with delays in accessing treatment.

Mr Dumbulwa revealed that 25 states and 12 tertiary health facilities had been empanelled under the EMT Gateway Fund, marking significant progress in expanding emergency medical services nationwide.

He also highlighted that the initiative aligns with the World Bank-supported Rural Emergency Service and Maternal Transport project, which seeks to improve emergency medical transport and maternal healthcare services in underserved communities.

“The RESMAT project is currently being piloted across 15 states, including Ebonyi, Ekiti, Delta, Ogun, Lagos, Bauchi, Gombe, Nasarawa, Sokoto, Kano, Kaduna, Yobe, Taraba, Plateau, and Rivers.

“A memorandum of agreement has been signed between the World Bank, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, and the National Malaria Elimination Programme, with a performance framework in place to track the project’s implementation,” he said.

(NAN)