The federal government has upgraded the Riyom General Hospital in Plateau State to a National Trauma Centre and deployed 15 emergency ambulances to the state to strengthen emergency medical response and improve access to life-saving care.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Kachollom Daju, who represented the Coordinating Minister, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, announced the approval of the facility as the National Trauma Centre, Riyom, during its formal launch yesterday, reports Channels TV.
The development is part of the federal government’s National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (NEMSAS), under which five conventional ambulance buses and 10 tricycle ambulances have been deployed to Plateau State.
Daju commended the Plateau State government for ceding the Riyom General Hospital to the Federal Government, noting that the establishment of the National Trauma Centre would not have been possible without the consent of Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang.
She explained that the ambulances were strictly for emergency medical services and would operate through three pathways designed to improve access to timely care.
According to her, NEMSAS would work through the Plateau State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance Services (PLASEMSAS) to provide free emergency transportation within the state, while the Federal Tertiary Facility Pathway would provide vulnerable patients with 48 hours of free emergency treatment.
She added that the Rural Emergency Services and Transport for Maternal and Newborns (REST-M) would provide emergency transportation for pregnant women and newborns in rural and hard-to-reach communities.
Receiving the ambulances on behalf of Governor Mutfwang, his Deputy, Ngo Josephine Chundung Piyo, described the intervention as a major investment in saving lives and a significant boost to the state’s emergency healthcare system.
Mutfwang said the development was consistent with his administration’s healthcare blueprint aimed at ensuring that no Plateau citizen is denied access to medical care because of distance, cost, or lack of transportation.
The governor recalled that the state had earlier procured five ambulance buses to kick-start PLASEMSAS, while tricycle ambulances were also provided for Jos East and Riyom local government areas under the Maternal and Newborn Mortality Innovative Initiative.
He assured the federal government that the newly deployed ambulances would be properly distributed, professionally managed and adequately maintained to ensure sustainability.
Mutfwang expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for the intervention, particularly the designation of Riyom General Hospital as a National Trauma Centre.
The Chief Medical Director of the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Dr. Pokop Bupwatda, said the intervention would enable healthcare providers to reach emergency patients faster and transport them to facilities where definitive care could be provided.
Bupwatda pledged 24-hour emergency operations at the facility in line with the federal government’s 48-hour free emergency treatment initiative.
Also speaking, the Plateau State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nicholas Baamlong, disclosed that the state commenced its emergency ambulance system in August 2025 following the procurement of ambulances for strategic health facilities.
Baamlong said the state’s Rural Emergency Service and Transport initiative had recorded more than 2,000 emergency transports in six months, including 1,115 patients in Jos East and over 900 in Riyom.
He said the initiative had recorded only one maternal mortality in Jos East and none in Riyom during the period, while the state’s maternal mortality ratio declined from 905 to approximately 500 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Under the NEMSAS deployment, the five conventional ambulances will be stationed at JUTH, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Jos, Federal Medical Centre, Wase, Plateau State Specialist Hospital and the National Trauma Centre, Riyom.
The 10 tricycle ambulances will provide last-mile emergency transportation in rural and hard-to-reach communities, complementing the conventional ambulances and helping to bridge transportation gaps that often delay access to medical care.
The upgrade of Riyom General Hospital is expected to strengthen trauma care and emergency referrals in Plateau State, while the expanded ambulance network is expected to improve the speed of response to accidents, maternal emergencies and other life-threatening conditions across the state.
