The federal government has upgraded the Riyom General Hospital in Plateau State to a National Trauma Centre. They also sent 15 ambulances to the state to improve emergency medical services.
The hospital will work as a branch of the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH). This was announced on Monday during the launch of the National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (NEMSAS) in Riyom.
The ambulances include five regular emergency ambulance buses and 10 tricycle ambulances. The tricycles will help reach rural and hard-to-access areas.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang, who was represented by his deputy, Josephine Piyo, called this development a big step for emergency healthcare and saving lives.
Mr Mutfwang said this move matches his administration’s healthcare plan. He wants to make sure that people do not miss out on medical care due to distance, cost, or lack of transport.
He added that the Plateau government had already bought five ambulance buses under the Plateau State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (PLASEMSAS). They also provided tricycle ambulances for Jos East and Riyom Local Government Areas through the Maternal and Newborn Mortality Innovative Initiative.
The governor assured the federal government that the new ambulances would be well managed and maintained. He thanked President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for the trauma centre and support for emergency services in the state.
Kachollom Daju, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, represented the Coordinating Minister of Health, Muhammad Pate. She announced the federal government’s approval of the facility as the National Trauma Centre in Riyom.
Ms Daju praised the Plateau government for handing over the facility, saying this could not have happened without the governor's agreement.
She mentioned that the ambulances would be used only for emergency medical services through different parts of NEMSAS. PLASEMSAS will offer free emergency transport within the state. The Federal Tertiary Facility Pathway will provide vulnerable patients with free emergency treatment for up to 48 hours.
Another part of the plan, REST-M, will give emergency transport to pregnant women and newborns in rural areas.
Pokop Bupwatda, the Chief Medical Director of JUTH, said this move will help healthcare providers reach emergency patients quicker and take them to places for proper treatment.
Mr Bupwatda promised that the hospital would have 24-hour emergency operations, in line with the Federal Government’s 48-hour free emergency treatment program.
Nicholas Baamlong, the Plateau State Commissioner for Health, said the state started its emergency ambulance system in August 2025 after buying ambulances for key health facilities.
Mr Baamlong said the rural emergency transport initiative helped more than 2,000 emergency patient transfers in six months. This included 1,115 patients in Jos East and over 900 in Riyom.
He added that the initiative recorded one maternal death in Jos East and none in Riyom during that time.
The commissioner also said that Plateau’s maternal mortality ratio fell from 905 to about 500 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Under the NEMSAS plan, the five regular ambulances will go to JUTH, the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Jos, the Federal Medical Centre, Wase, the Plateau State Specialist Hospital, and the National Trauma Centre in Riyom.
The 10 tricycle ambulances will provide last-mile emergency transport in rural and hard-to-reach areas across the state.
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