Dr. Tomi Coker, Ogun Commissioner for Health
To reduce maternal deaths, particularly in rural communities, Ogun State government has expressed its determination to improve ambulance services, a crucial support to efficient healthcare delivery.
Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, made this commitment yesterday during a meeting with officials from the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System (NEMSAS), regarding the introduction of the Rural Emergency Services and Maternal Transportation (RESMAT) programme in the state.
Dr. Coker informed that the state, in partnership with a private organisation, recently launched the Rural Maternal Health Transport Service which was piloted in Odeda Local Government Area, to address the transport challenge for women in rural areas during maternal health emergencies.
He noted that the feedback from the programme had been encouraging and added that: “our next step is to align with the national vision regarding maternal emergency transport services in rural areas”.
“Today, we shared our journey thus far with officials from NEMSAS. From our robust conversation, we identified areas where we can extend this programme beyond the pilot communities to reach 30 more communities from all the other LGAs”, she said.
The Commissioner assured pregnant women in remote communities not to worry about transportation during emergency, as the tricycle ambulances would transport them to the nearest primary healthcare centre for appropriate care.
In her remarks, Team Leader of NEMSAS for RESMAT Programme, Ms. Tyra Fom, described the commencement of the rural emergency transport service in the state as trailblazing.
She added that the national programme would provide support to further expand the reach of the initiative, expressing optimism that with the existing emergency ambulance service structure in the state, the programme would aid emergency and ambulance service structure in Ogun State.
