Ambulance Services In Nigeria And Lagos State

Currently in Nigeria, ambulance services are executed by individual hospitals (public and private) as well as organisations and agencies. To reduce the number of deaths caused by the delay in access to healthcare services, the federal government has announced plans to introduce the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System.

Ambulance service in Nigeria

National Ambulance Services System (NASS) In Nigeria

National Ambulance Services System (NASS) is a system for the coordination and provision of emergency medical care and transportation of the sick or injured persons who are in need of immediate medical care. The goal is to reach those in need urgent medical care in order to satisfactorily treat the presenting conditions or arrange for timely removal of the patient to the point of definitive care, most likely an emergency department of a hospital or health facilities.

Read Also: The Different Type Of Hospitals Found In Nigeria

Presently in Nigeria, there is no formal legal framework for coordination and regulation of Ambulance services. The absence of policy framework to guide ambulance service providers, led to many disparate non coordinated ambulance services operated by Government agencies such as Federal Road Safety Commission, National Emergency Management Agency, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, as well as Private and Voluntary organizations. Their Personnel are often without requisite paramedic training. 

Similarly, most first responders seen at emergency scenes do not have prerequisite knowledge and skills to manage emergencies. The victims of trauma and other emergencies are often transported to definitive health care facilities by good Samaritans. Although each agency has its own emergency call line, as Close User Group (CUG), there has been no National Emergency Call Number for coordinated emergency services. The National Communication Commission (NCC) has put in place a 3-digit toll free number, 122, housed by NEMA as the National Emergency number.

Lagos State Emergency Medical Service

Of all the states in Nigeria, Lagos is the only one with an organized state-run emergency medical service and a working public safety answering point/emergency communication center. All other states, including the federal capital territory, have neither state-coordinated ambulance services nor a PSAP.

Read Also: All About Ambulance Service

There are about 20 ambulance stations for the Lagos State Ambulance Services (LASAMBUS), one in each of the 20 local government areas in the state. When calls come into the PSAP within the state emergency command center, the dispatcher transmits the information to the required emergency response agency—generally one or a combination of fire, ambulance, and police. Each of these agencies is represented within the command center. The agency representative sends a radio message to the nearest field responder(s) to the scene. Backups and additional resources are mobilized based on proximity. Lagos state uses the type II vehicle ambulance.

Lagos State Emergency Medical Service Number

There are so many emergency numbers on the internet. However, they are not working. I was able to get these emergency numbers that are currently working only for the Lagos state government. There are numerous emergency numbers for private emergency medical service providers.

Ambulance Services (LASAMBUS/LASEMS) 

08022887777, 08022883678, 08022887788, 01-7413744, 01-7930490, 01-7639939

Emergency Management (LASEMA)

08060907333, 08023127654, 08022234870, 016574706, 016574714