Akwa Ibom plans emergency medical services, acquires 10 ambulances

Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has stated that the state will soon launch an independent Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System to complement the Primary Health Care services and the recently launched State Health Insurance Scheme.

Mr Eno made this known on Friday when he received six out of 10 fully-equipped ambulances at the Government House, Uyo.

Speaking with Government House correspondents while inspecting the ambulances, Mr Eno said the gesture reaffirmed his commitment to enhancing healthcare services in Akwa Ibom, in line with the aspirations of his administration’s ARISE Agenda.

According to the governor, the Akwa Ibom State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System will run as a stand-alone system, run by qualified personnel, but complementary to the Health Insurance Scheme and other components of the state’s health sector to ensure swift response to medical emergencies, as is obtainable in some countries across the world.

He directed that health workers be selected and trained on requisite skills to ensure optimum service delivery on the emergency services.

He commended the ambulances’ special features and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to supporting good ventures that would serve the interests of Akwa Ibom people, fulfilling his campaign promises.

“We want to create an Independent ambulance service system, a stand-alone service headed by qualified personnel. The Ambulance service is special, and they can run independently.

“If we have this ambulance system working, our health insurance working, our hospitals working, and we have the medical team working, pay the medical doctors well and make them happy, we should be able to revive our health sector as part of our ARISE Agenda,” Governor Eno stated.

Commendation

The Senior Special Assistant, Medicals, and Personal Physician to the Governor, Ekem John, who coordinated the inspection of the ambulances, commended Governor Eno’s integrity in keeping to his promise of providing the state with a workable medical emergency service.

Mr John, a medical doctor, said in addition to other lofty projects to boost healthcare services in the state, the governor was also building a sizeable network of roads and other laudable projects.

According to the governor’s chief physician, the Eno-led administration’s interventions in the health sector have brought Akwa Ibom State into sync with the current federal government policies in the sector, thereby guaranteeing access to the consolidated revenue fund for healthcare.